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Media Summary

Hezbollah members indicted for Hariri murder

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The main item of Middle East-related coverage in the UK media today is the issuing of indictments to four Hezbollah members accused of involvement in the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri in 2005. The Independent has a piece suggesting that the Syrian security services were responsible for the murder. In other items, the Guardian has a piece on an ‘honour killing’ in the West Bank. The paper also has an editorial opposing the arrest of Sheikh Raed Salah in Britain, and quotes an Iranian official who says that the unrest in Syria helps Israel. The Daily Telegraph notes Iranian denials that Teheran has recently carried out secret nuclear tests. The Daily Mail ridicules the fact that Raed Salah was able to enter the UK, despite a supposed ban on his entry. The Scotsman notes that a major container firm has ceased operations in Iran in compliance with sanctions. The Daily Mirror notes that a Facebook protest has led to a reduction in the price of cottage cheese in Israel. The Jewish Chronicle reports that Irish flotilla activists have accused Israel of sabotage after damage was discovered on their ship. Jewish News reports the planned deportation of Raed Salah from the UK. The Economist carries blog posts on a display of Picasso works in Ramallah, and noting a recent controversy over Delta Airlines’ claimed complicity with a policy preventing Jews from entering Saudi Arabia. The Economist also has an article on the crisis in Syria. The Spectator asks if the UK will recognise a Palestinian state in September. Reuters has an analysis of US overtures to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Reuters also notes US and EU criticism of Syria at the UN. BBC Online and the Daily Telegraph note the claims by Irish flotilla participants that their ship was sabotaged. Sky News Online, meanwhile, notes the authorities’ crushing of protests in the Syrian city of Aleppo. The Financial Times reports US intentions to ramp up sanctions against Syria. The Independent notes the US’s resumption of contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. The Guardian and the Times have pieces on continuing protests in Syria, and the Guardian notes that a US backed plan for reform in Syria would leave President Assad in place.

In the Israeli media, all papers report on the flotilla, and note a speech given by Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday in which he spoke of Israel’s right to defend itself from initiatives of this kind. Haaretz reports from among the flotilla participants in Greece and also quotes US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who denied that the US’s contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt represented a change of policy. The Jerusalem Post notes US and EU criticism over China and Russia’s stance on Syria at the UN. The paper also notes fears of riots on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem today. Ynetnews reports a statement by President Shimon Peres according to which Iran is exaggerating its military abilities. Ynetnews also notes a South African dispatch of aid vehicles to Gaza.