The main item of Middle East related coverage in the UK media today is the death of Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi, killed by rebels in Sirte in the aftermath of French air strike, although precise details of his death remain unclear.  In other news, the Daily Telegraph today has an article noting that Gilad Shalit heard the sound of fighting close to him during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in late 2008. The paper, along with Reuters, also notes the indictment of two Iranian citizens in the US on charges of plotting to murder the Saudi ambassador to Washington. The Guardian has an article on economic protests throughout the world, in which an Israeli protester is interviewed. The Independent notes a statement by PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad that the time is not right for direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. The Financial Times reports Palestinian preparations for their bid for UNSC approval of Palestinian statehood. The Jewish Chronicle and Jewish News focus on the Shalit release this week, and the Jewish Chronicle has an additional piece on the alleged Iranian plot to kill the Saudi Ambassador to the US and its implications. The Economist also runs two articles on the Shalit release, and has additional pieces on the current situation in Jordan, and the worldwide protest movement, which references the protests in Israel. The New Statesman runs a piece demanding that Israel release all Palestinian minors held in its custody. Reuters notes that the White House has repeated a statement that Syrian President Bashar Assad has lost his legitimacy. BBC Online, the Guardian, the Independent and the Times have obituaries for slain Libyan dictator Muammar Ghaddafi that note his support for Palestinian terror groups. The Daily Express, Daily Mirror and Evening Standard run pieces on the freeing of Gilad Shalit.

On Thursday, the Independent had an article on Gilad Shalit’s first day of freedom. The Guardian ran a piece arguing that coverage of the Shalit affair reflected a western bias in which a ‘white’ person tends to become the focus of the story. The Daily Telegraph noted that the William Hill company has hired former Israeli intelligence officers to investigate the situation in its Israel offices. The Times ran a piece on the situation facing Arab dictators after the death of Colonel Gaddhafi of Libya. The Independent, Daily Telegraph and BBC Online had articles focusing on the Palestinians convicted of terror offences who were recently freed by Israel. BBC Online also noted the lull in economic protests in Israel, and quoted Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad who has said that the time is not right for direct negotiations with Israel. The Daily Mail, Financial Times, Evening Standard and Daily Telegraph had pieces on former Defence secretary Liam Fox which mentioned his links to supporters of Israel. The Evening Standard also spoke to a British-based relative of Gilad Shalit. The Guardian also published a piece which claimed that the fact that Israel had freed 1027 Palestinian prisoners to get back Gilad Shalit proves that Israel considers the lives of Palestinians as being worth less than that of an Israeli. The Evening Standard had a letter on the release of Gilad Shalit.

The Jerusalem Post print edition leads with the release of Gilad Shalit this week. Haaretz leads with a statement by Noam Shalit regarding the harsh conditions in which his son was held. Israel Hayom leads with the death of Gaddhafi and also has a front-page piece on the freeing of Shalit.

In the Israeli media, all papers note the killing of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddhafi. Haaretz has a piece reporting Prime Minister Netanyahu’s willingness for a partial new freeze on construction in settlements in return for the resumption of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. The paper also notes that Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon has flown to Germany in order to help reduce reported tensions between Jerusalem and Berlin over settlement building. Haaretz also notes that a government committee in Israel is due to release a report outlining lessons learned from the Shalit deal. Ynetnews notes a statement by Noam Shalit that his son’s conditions in captivity were harsh, contrary to Hamas claims. Ynetnews also notes PA efforts toward bringing the Palestinian bid for statehood to a vote at the UNSC. The Jerusalem Post quotes an adviser to PA President Abbas who said that Abbas has conveyed to Hamas an offer of PA elections in January, 2012. Israel Hayom runs a piece on the PR campaign that helped to free Gilad Shalit.