The main item of Israel related coverage in the UK media today is the decision by the Arab League to back the Palestinian plan to seek UN recognition of a unilateral declaration of independence. The Guardian, Scotsman and Financial Times note this latest development. In other stories, the Times report on the increased flow of weapons from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Guardian notes opposition by Israeli law professors to the new boycott law in Israel. The Financial Times notes the stalled Palestinian reconciliation process. The Glasgow Herald reports on the dispute in the university lecturers’ union in Britain over its rejection of EU guidelines on anti-Semitism. The Jewish Chronicle has pieces on Israel’s solidarity with India in the face of the latest terrorist attack in Mumbai, and a Christian pro-Israel demonstration in London. The Economist has articles on the current situation in the upheavals in the Arab world, and a piece on the Syrian town of Hama. The New Statesman interviews anti-Israel activist and historian Norman Finkelstein. BBC Online notes plans to oppose Israel’s boycott law by human rights groups. Reuters, meanwhile, reports the deaths of a number of demonstrators in eastern Syria.

In the Israeli media, all papers note Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition to a bill to investigate the funding sources of left wing NGOs in Israel. The Haaretz print edition leads with a story about state policy regarding the provision of hospital beds in Israel. Haaretz speaks to Israeli experts who consider that the fall of the Assad regime in Syria is only a matter of time. The paper also speaks to Palestinians in Nablus who play down the possibility of a renewed Intifada in September. The Jerusalem Post notes US rejection of Arab League’s support for the Palestinian unilateral bid for recognition of statehood. Ynetnews reports on Qassam fire on Israel yesterday, and has an additional piece on a protest in Israel against rising rent prices. Maariv notes a statement by a senior IDF officer that a scenario whereby a settler could open fire on IDF troops during the evacuation of an outpost is ‘not imaginary.’