The unrest in a number of Arab countries continues to dominate Middle East coverage in the UK media. All papers and news outlets have coverage and analyses of the latest events in Bahrain and Libya. In other items, The Daily Telegraph and BBC Online note Iran’s request to Egypt to allow it to send two naval vessels through the Suez Canal. The Jewish Chronicle notes a statement by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, in which he calls the Iranian vessels a provocation. The Independent notes plans in Israel for schoolchildren to visit Hebron. The Guardian has a piece on a gap year programme offering teenagers a taste of Israeli military life. The Scotsman reports on the Egyptian military’s statement that it will not field a candidate in the presidential election. The Jewish Chronicle notes that the British All Party Parliamentary Group on Islamophobia has decided to retain the controversial Islamist organisation iEngage as its secretariat. The paper also quotes a statement by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas insisting that Hamas must allow Palestinian elections to take place this year. Jewish News speaks to Leader of the Opposition in Britain Ed Miliband. The paper also speaks to Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks concerning kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. The Economist has a piece on Israel’s concerns vis a vis the current regional instability, an article on Valentine’s Day in Ramallah and a piece on the opposition in Iran. The New Statesman also has an article on Israeli concerns regarding the unrest. The Spectator has a piece critical of media coverage of events in Egypt. BBC Online reports the deaths of three Palestinians in the Gaza area this week, and the decision by a Dutch museum to lend a Picasso painting to a gallery in the West Bank. Sky News Online notes a statement by the Bahraini prince that the Arab-Israeli issue lies behind the unrest in the Middle East. The Spectator reviews a new book about Jerusalem. The Financial Times has a piece on Syria’s attitude to the recent Mid-East unrest. The Evening Standard runs a piece noting that foreigners in Egypt have been accused of being Israeli spies. The Independent publishes a letter claiming that the two-state solution is ‘dead’ because of the presence of settlements in the West Bank. 

In the Israeli media, all papers focus on US attempts to induce the Palestinians to withdraw a planned resolution condemning settlements set to be voted on today in the UN Security Council. All papers also note the Iranian vessels heading for the Suez Canal. The Jerusalem Post has a piece on Israeli military preparations for possible large scale demonstrations in the West Bank. Ynetnews notes Arab fears of further regional unrest, and a request by the Tunisian provisional government denouncing any attacks on the country’s Jews, following verbal attacks on Jews outside the Tunis synagogue in recent days. Maariv reports that President Obama’s efforts to induce the Palestinians to withdraw the planned resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity have failed, and that the resolution will be voted on at the Security Council today.