The Guardian today has a piece on settler opposition to an Israeli plan to demolish unauthorised outposts in the West Bank. The paper also has a piece recommending that the west use ‘soft power’ in dealing with the Libyan crisis, which notes reported Israeli expertise in cyber-warfare. The Independent reports on Palestinian dismissal of any interim move toward peace by Israel. The Daily Mail notes that Israel intends to ask for increased military aid from the US, according to a statement by Defence Minister Ehud Barak. The Financial Times has an article by a former senior US official on the unrest in the Arab world. The Financial Times also reports that Britain is to ‘significantly ramp up pressure on Israel to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority.’ The Independent has a piece on the Palestinian national football team. The paper also notes a statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday that Israel must retain part of the Jordan Valley in the event of a peace deal with the Palestinians. The Times notes that Israel has refused to extend the residency visa of the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem. The paper also notes Foreign Secretary William Hague’s condemnation of Hamas’s rejection of new Palestinian elections.

In the Israeli media, Haaretz quotes Israeli senior officers who consider that Israel would have difficulty containing a civil revolt in the West Bank. The paper also notes that the officers consider such a revolt to be unlikely, at the present time. Haaretz has additional pieces on discussions between British Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama on the crisis in Libya, and an article on when regional unrest is likely to hit Saudi Arabia. Ynetnews quotes Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, in a statement in which he rejects Netanyahu’s insistence on an Israeli presence in the Jordan Valley, and demands the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders. Ynetnews also quotes a British official who said that the Middle East peace process is too important to fail, and reports from a demonstration by left wing Jews and Arabs against house demolitions. All papers note plans by Social Affairs Minister Moshe Kahalon to visit jailed spy Jonathan Pollard in an upcoming trip to the United States. The Jerusalem Post notes a statement by Egyptian presidential hopeful Amr Moussa that he would maintain Egypt’s peace with Israel. The paper also notes a statement by Britain’s Ambassador to Israel Matthew Gould that the UK does not intend at the present time to recognise a Palestinian state, and notes the outbreak of protests in Kuwait.