In the UK and international papers today, the Guardian and Scotsman report that the Greek Coast Guard thwarted an attempt by the Canadian ship, the Tahirir, to leave the Greek port and sail to Gaza. The Times reports that the Palestinian World Cup football qualifying match which will be played for the first time in the West Bank is a positive sign for the Palestinians and their steps towards an independent state. In other news, most papers note that Syrian tanks are surrounding the city of Hama in the on-going crackdown of anti-government protests. The papers also note that Syrian security forces are targeting protesters filming or documenting the protests with mobile devices. Reuters notes that Israel agreed to hand over the bodies of 84 Palestinian terrorists to the Palestinian Authority as a goodwill gesture.

In the Israeli media today, all papers note that Defence Minister Ehud Barak ordered a freeze to the transfer of 84 Palestinian terrorist bodies due to the influence it may have on the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal. The papers note that the Greek Coastal Guard yesterday halted the second ship in the flotilla from setting sail to Gaza. All papers also note that Turkish and Israeli officials are working together to release an agreed upon statement ahead of the UN commission and findings of the Mavi Marmara incident. The statement aims at mending bilateral ties between the two countries and improving relations. All papers in Israel continue to cover protests over the arrests of Rabbi Dov Lior and Rabbi Yaakov Yosef after they endorsed a religious tract justifying the killing of non-Jews. Haaretz runs a piece on the rise in clashes between Settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank.