The main item of Middle East related coverage in the UK media today is the taking by Syrian forces of the town of Jisr al-Shughur, which was reportedly defended by mutinous Syrian soldiers. In other items, the Guardian has a piece on a school in a Beduin encampment in the West Bank, which the article suggests is under danger of demolition. The Daily Express notes Foreign Secretary William Hague’s statement on Iranian aid for Syrian repression. The Daily Telegraph notes that Rifaat Assad, brother of the late Syrian dictator, has a residence in London. The Financial Times notes Russian and Chinese non-attendance at talks over the weekend to discuss a draft Security Council resolution to condemn Syria’s repression of protests. The Independent and the Scotsman report that Hamas has rejected Salam Fayyad, the candidate proposed by Fatah, for the post of prime minister in the new Palestinian cabinet. The Times notes an attack by Iranian security forces on demonstrators in Teheran. The Financial Times, BBC Online and the Scotsman have pieces on the electoral victory of the ruling AKP in Turkey.

Over the weekend, the exodus of Syrian refugees into Turkey dominated Middle East related coverage in the UK media. In other items, the Observer on Sunday spoke to Quartet Middle East Envoy Tony Blair on, among other things, his views on the region and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The paper also had an interview with film director David Mamet, who said that many British writers were anti-Semitic. The Guardian on Saturday had an article on an Iranian claim that one of its agents infiltrated opposition organisations abroad, a piece on Israel’s campaign against Palestinian unilateralism (together with the Independent), and articles on the Tel Aviv Gay parade and the Gaza Marathon. The Sunday Times ran a piece claiming that Israeli military leaders blocked a plan to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities last year. BBC Online, Reuters and the Financial Times noted Bank of Israel Chairman Stanley Fischer’s intention to run for the chairmanship of the International Monetary Fund. Sky News Online ran a piece on Assad’s ‘fight to the death’ in Syria. BBC Online ran an article asking if Israel would ever return to the 1967 lines. The Sunday Express noted fears of Arab Christians as a result of the Arab Spring’s removal of authoritarian regimes that protected them from Islamism. The Sunday Mail ran a piece arguing that anti-Semitism is becoming increasingly acceptable in the UK. The Daily Mail on Saturday noted claims that Iran is aiding Syria in its repression of opponents. The Financial Times on Saturday had an editorial calling for global pressure to oust Assad. The paper also had a piece on sectarian divides in Syria. The Times noted fears of a massacre in Syria.

In the Israeli media today all papers note the AKP electoral victory in Turkey, and the taking of the town of Jisr al-Shughur by the Syrian army. Haaretz has additional pieces on US ‘pressure’ on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept President Obama’s 19 May speech as a basis for renewed negotiations with the Palestinians, and a statement by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that he prefers the path of negotiations to that of unilateralism. The Jerusalem Post notes a statement by Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon that Israel is making headway in causing Latin American countries to reconsider their support for a unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood. Ynetnews notes an anti-Israel protest in Sweden and reports that Egypt is claiming to have arrested a Mossad ‘spy’ in Cairo.