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Media Summary

Houthis threaten to attack UAE targets

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The Guardian, Telegraph, Times and Financial Times report that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Benny Gantz have begun what could be a prolonged period of high-stakes political bartering after Tuesday’s election illustrated neither had a clear path to form a coalition. The Guardian reports that Arab turnout in the election has increased, while Joint List leader Ayman Odeh claimed that the results showed there was “a heavy price to pay for incitement”.

In the Guardian, Oliver Holmes presents five possible scenarios for Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz after Tuesday’s election.

In the Financial Times, David Gardiner claims that Benjamin Netanyahu is in the fight of his political life: “It is too early to write off the Likud leader, but the parliamentary deadlock may block his power”.

In the Economist, Anshel Pfeffer claims that Benjamin Netanyahu will “desperately struggle to stay in office”.

In the Times, Catherine Philip states that an Benjamin Netanyahu “looks like he has run out of road”: “The Benjamin Netanyahu who addressed supporters in the early hours of yesterday looked a far cry from the statesman shown in campaign posters shaking President Trump’s hand, announcing himself ‘In Another League’ to his election rivals”.

In the Independent, Bel Trew maintains that “Netanyahu the ‘wizard’ has lost his magic touch and Israel will forever be changed”: “No one was chanting ‘magician’ when a hoarse Benjamin Netanyahu took to the stage of his half-empty elections headquarters at 3am on Wednesday”.

Reuters presents a profile of ‘kingmaker’ Avigdor Liberman: “Half a year ago one man stood alone and unchallenged on the summit of Israeli politics – the veteran right-wing populist Benjamin Netanyahu, known as ‘King Bibi’ to his loyal followers”.

In the Telegraph, Raf Sanchez links the Israeli election to wider regional events: “When tensions are running high in the Middle East over claims of Iranian involvement in the attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure, the inconclusive results from the latest Israeli general election must be a cause for serious concern for the Jewish state”.

The Guardian argues that Benjamin Netanyahu is unfit to hold the office of prime minister, but Israel’s problems are “bigger than him”.

The Times reports that archaeologists have claimed that 3,000-year-old tin ingots found in Israel are of Cornish or Devonshire origin, reaching the Middle East via sophisticated trading networks. Researchers at the Curt Engelhorn Archaeometry Centre say that their chemical analysis provide the first hard evidence for trading of the metal used in making bronze, between Britain and Bronze Age civilisations. The 23 ingots from shipwrecks off the coast of Israel date from about the 13th and 12th centuries BC, when Phoenician and Greek traders dominated the eastern Mediterranean.

BBC News, the Guardian, Telegraph, Times, Independent, Financial Times and Reuters report that Saudi Arabia has displayed remnants of drones and missiles it said were used in a Saturday’s attack on two oil facilities that was “unquestionably sponsored” by Tehran. It said 18 drones and seven cruise missiles were fired from a direction that ruled out Yemen as a source. US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday there were many options short of war but that US will “substantially increase” sanctions against Iran, details of which are yet to be released. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said after arriving in Saudi Arabia that Saturday’s attack was an “act of war”.

In the Guardian, Michael Safi and Julian Borger examine how Iran breached Saudi Arabia’s defences and what will happen next: “Escalation is dangerous because infrastructure could be exposed to retaliation”.

In the Guardian, Masha Rouhi argues that whatever Iran’s role in Saturday’s attack, the regional status quo is unsustainable: “Biting sanctions after the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal could make Iran desperate enough to try to provoke Trump”.

In the Guardian, Michael H Fuchs argues that the latest Iran-Saudi flare-up exposes President Trump’s ‘bankrupt’ Middle East policy: “End support for the war in Yemen, change the relationship with Saudi Arabia, and talk to Iran – the answers for the US are clear”.

Reuters reports that the Houthi group said on Wednesday that it had identified dozens of sites in the UAE, in an attempt to underscore its military clout following Saturday’s attack it claims to have carried out on Saudi oil facilities. “To the Emirati regime we say only one operation (of ours) would cost you dearly,” Yahya Saria, the military spokesman for the Iran-aligned movement, said. “Today and for the first time we announce that we have dozens of targets within our range in the UAE, some are in Abu Dhabi and can be attacked at any time.”

Reuters reports that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani may cancel his trip to New York next week for the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN if the US fails to issue visas for him and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in the next few hours.

The Financial Times and Reuters report that Saudi Arabia is attempting to reassure potential investors in the long-awaited Saudi Aramco initial public offering after Saturday’s attacks on key Saudi oil facilities. Energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told reporters Saudi Aramco had “come out like a phoenix from the ashes”, while chief executive Amin Nasser said its swift recovery showed it to be “the most reliable company in the world”.

Reuters reports that oil prices edged higher in Asian trade on Thursday, with markets soothed by Saudi Arabia’s pledge to restore full production by end-September.

Reuters reports that two Democratic US senators on Wednesday urged the Trump administration to halt talks with Saudi Arabia on building nuclear reactors after Saturday’s attacks. Senators Ed Markey and Jeff Merkley, members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging the administration to discontinue recent talks with the kingdom about nuclear power development.

The Times reports that President Trump has named Robert O’Brien as his fourth national security adviser. O’Brien is a former lawyer and current special presidential envoy for hostage affairs at the State Department. O’Brien’s low profile and reputation for consensus-building and sensitivity in negotiations stand in contrast to former security adviser John Bolton. He has been working for the State Department and his elevation has been interpreted as another sign of the influence of Mike Pompeo.

Reuters reports that a Taliban truck bomb has killed at least 20 people and wounded 95 when it exploded near a hospital in southern Afghanistan. “The bomb was huge and it was carried by a mini-truck,” said a senior defence ministry official in the capital, Kabul, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to media. Reuters reports that President Trump’s top negotiator for Afghanistan will hold a briefing for the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, after the committee subpoenaed him in frustration at his refusal to meet with members. Zalmay Khalilzad will hold a classified briefing for the panel on Thursday morning.

Reuters reports that the UN Security Council is due to vote on Thursday on rival draft resolutions that call for a truce in northwest Syria after Russia and China put forward their own text in response to a proposal by Kuwait, Germany and Belgium.

Reuters reports that a senior Turkish official has claimed that US President Donald Trump has become more understanding about why Turkey has purchased the S-400 missile defence system and will not impose sanctions on Ankara. “My expectation is it (sanctions) would not be implemented,” the senior official told reporters in Washington. “He understood the whole history behind how we got to purchasing the S-400s,” she said.

BBC News reports that Egypt has been banned from weightlifting’s World Championships for doping offences and could also be suspended from Tokyo 2020. The Egyptians have been given a two-year ban after seven positive doping tests for young weightlifters in 2016. The World Championships got under way in Thailand on Wednesday.

The Telegraph reports that Egypt has ordered Italy’s former honorary consul to stand trial in absentia over charges of attempting to smuggle thousands of artefacts out of the country, the public prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday.

BBC News reports that Iran has been banned by the International Judo Federation after it ordered Saeid Mollaei to pull out of the World Championships in Japan. Defending champion Mollaei ignored calls to withdraw from his match against Russia’s Khasan Khalmurzaev to avoid the prospect of facing Israel’s Sagi Muki later in the tournament.

In the Financial Times, Janah Ganesh examines the “impossible promise” of a US Middle East withdrawal: “Successive presidents have failed to disengage. Donald Trump may do the same”.

Trump goes cold on Bibi, says ‘our relationship is with Israel’

All the Israeli media report President Trump’s comment that he has not spoken with Netanyahu since Tuesday’s election and in his only comment on the Israeli election said: “Those results are coming in and it’s very close. Everybody knew it’s going to be very close. Look, our relationship is with Israel. We’ll see what happens.”

Post election talks and spin

Yediot Ahronot reports from a Likud meeting where Yariv Levin said their first tactic would be to win the support of defectors from Blue and White or to ramp up pressure on Amir Peretz to join a Netanyahu-led government.  The paper notes that Peretz said that he would meet with Gantz soon and called on him to meet with Joint List representatives as well, Peretz said: “Ayman Odeh mustn’t be boycotted, and neither should the Ultra-Orthodox.” Meanwhile, Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman reiterated, “The key is in the president’s hands. He has to play a far more active role in forming the coalition.” Ben Caspit in Maariv argues that Netanyahu has no path forward and should act immediately to reach a plea bargain arrangement with Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.

Palestinian leadership comments on election  

According to Kan News Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said that he was opposed to another term for Prime Minister Netanyahu. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said that the PA was willing to negotiate with any prime minister in Israel after the elections.

Rockets fired from Gaza land in Gaza and injure Palestinians

Israeli media report that last night the IDF reported that rockets were launched from Gaza but failed to enter Israeli territory. According to Palestinian sources seven Palestinians were wounded when 2 or 3 rockets hit a home in Rafah in the south of the Gaza strip. A senior security official told Army Radio that the chance of a military campaign in Gaza has increased now the election is over, he said the IDF is prepared for a war with Gaza at any moment.

Airstrike in eastern Syria

Early this morning unknown aircraft attacked military positions from the Popular Mobilisation Force, the Iranian backed militia in eastern Syria, near the Iraqi border.  Sky News Arabia, claimed 5 people were killed and 9 wounded.  It was the second strike on similar positions in two days and the third in a month.  According to the UK based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 10 pro-Iranian fighters were killed in an airstrike Tuesday by unmanned aerial vehicles, which reportedly targeted a training camp and ammunition storage facility.