The BBC reports that foreign Muslim pilgrims have returned to the Grand Mosque in Mecca for the first time since coronavirus restrictions were imposed seven months ago. On Sunday, 10,000 pilgrims from abroad performed the Umrah pilgrimage after self-isolating for three days in Saudi Arabia. Only 10,000 Saudi Muslim residents performed the annual Hajj pilgrimage in July this year, vastly down from the millions who take part each year.

The Independent reports that the number of Palestinians made homeless by Israeli house demolitions has reached a four-year high, according to B’Tselem. At least 741 Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem were made homeless between January and 30 September, the highest number since 2016, when 1,496 Palestinians were left with nowhere to live.

In The Telegraph, Zoe Strimpel writes: “[Jeremy] Corbyn’s suspension therefore feels like the first real strike of justice. It has not simply offered personal vindication, though. It has also, crucially, given us a jolt of renewed faith in Britain. Words are cheap: and as Britain’s Jews (and Britain itself) were humiliated throughout the Corbyn years by the sustained leadership of a man that fostered egregious anti-Semitism throughout his party’s ranks, it seemed as if little would ever be done. Now something has. We can proudly say that pervasive anti-Semitism does not go unpunished in Westminster.”

The Times reports that anger is growing in the Turkish town of Izmir, which was hit by a 7.0 earthquake last week, after documents have emerged that show in 2010 one of the buildings which collapsed had been marked as at risk of serious damage in the event of an earthquake. Similar warnings were given in 2012 and 2018 on two of the other buildings that collapsed. A national strategy drawn up after the 2011 earthquake in Van, which killed 604 people, was never enacted. It had stipulated that all buildings would be assessed by 2017.

The Guardian notes that British documentary Coup 53, which charts MI6’s role in the shah’s restoration, has been blocked by British TV film makers, who allege the documentary undermines their reputations by suggesting they kept government secrets when they first told the story on television in 1985 in the landmark Channel 4 series End of Empire, made by Granada TV.

The Financial Times reports that vested interests and powerful militias have left Iraqi Prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi struggling to restore stability in the war-torn country. Kadhimi has vowed to prosecute those responsible for killing more than 500 protesters, rein in militias, stave off economic collapse and hold early elections next June under a new electoral law. But seven months after his appointment, Iraq has slipped deeper into crisis as the downturn in oil prices has left the government struggling to raise funds to pay salaries, coronavirus cases have soared and militias roam freely, striking fear into their critics.

All of the Israeli media report on different aspects of the US elections tomorrow. Haaretz focuses on the race to control Congress and in particular the fate of four Jewish Democrats Congresswomen, who won their seats in the 2018 midterms and are fighting to stay in power. The group features Reps. Elissa Slotkin (Michigan), Susan Wild (Pennsylvania), Elaine Luria (Virginia) and Kim Schrier (Washington). Some in the Democratic Party hope that their popularity in their congressional districts could help Joe Biden triumph over President Donald Trump. Israel Hayom’s Boaz Bismuth looks at the races in the swing states, where record-number of people are coming out to vote. It reports that over the final three days of the race, President Trump is expected to hold 14 rallies in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Bismuth writes: “I leave Florida with the sense that Trump is the big favourite here. The concern is about what will happen if the results are too close to call or if large-scale voter fraud is discovered, particularly in this year’s swing states, which must also contend with unprecedented voting challenges no one expected.” Yediot Ahronot reports that President Donald Trump has cast doubt on the integrity of the US election again on Sunday, saying a vote count that stretched past Election Day would be a “terrible thing” and suggesting his lawyers might get involved. The Jerusalem Post notes that two senior Palestinian officials have confirmed that the Palestinian Authority is maintaining direct channels of communication with Biden camp.

In Maariv, Opposition leader Yair Lapid said this morning on the US elections: “Netanyahu has decided to lose the Democrats. The Israeli prime minister has turned the country into a branch of the Republican Party. Trump is a genuine friend of Israel, but that doesn’t mean that we’re allowed to neglect relations with the Democrats. Ultimately, there has been a consistent rise within the Democratic Party, there are all sorts of radical anti-Israel forces, sometimes even anti-Semitic. That’s not so far on the side-lines and is slowly and gradually entering the centre. People talk about how the Democrats’ future leadership is going to be that way. Obama was more pro-Israel than is customarily thought. I think that Trump’s policy towards Israel and the Middle East was more correct, but it is no coincidence that all Israeli governments have made sure to be both Republican and Democratic. That’s important. Budgets run through Congress, as do security decisions.”

Yediot Ahronot reports that the Palestinian Authority (PA) will restart accepting tax revenue collected by Israel after months of boycotting the funds over Jerusalem’s on-hold annexation plans and deductions made to prisoner salaries. Secretary-General of the Palestinian Council of Ministers, Amjad Ghanem, has denied the shift in position, insisting the PA will continue to refuse the funds until Israel agrees to its demands such as easing restrictions on the movement of goods and people between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

All the Israeli papers report that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has destroyed the home of a Palestinian charged with the murder of Rabbi Shai Ohayon in a stabbing attack in Petah Tikva in August. The demolition was carried out after the High Court of Justice denied an appeal by Palestinian Khalil Doikat’s family against the demolition. While the policy has been criticised by some human rights NGOs, the IDF believes it is a key deterrent to stop other potential attackers.

Haaretz and Times of Israel report that a group of Israeli CEOs met with Emirati officials as Israel looks to reach out to broader Arab markets. Ben Hamozeg, the founder and chief executive of Agrint, a company that uses seismic sensors to detect insects that eat — and destroy — palm trees from the inside, was one of the 13 business leaders who joined a four-day trip to the UAE organised by Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP). A Palestinian businessman from East Jerusalem, a former Mossad agent, and a desert crop expert — three men who worked with the UAE for years — travelled with the group and were key players in setting up the meetings.