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Media Summary

Syrian ceasefire comes into effect but fighting persists

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The Guardian online reports that Facebook executives met two senior Israeli ministers and agreed to work together in order to tackle online incitement. Israeli leaders have long maintained that online incitement has been a key factor in the apparent ‘lone wolf’ Palestinian attacks which have killed at least 40 people over the past year. The article says that Facebook officials described a “constructive” meeting with Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked.

A brief item in the Metro reports that Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing”. It comes after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said over the weekend that “the Palestinian leadership actually demands a Palestinian state with one pre-condition: no Jews… it’s called ethnic cleansing”.

The Independent reports that there has been a social media outcry among some Palestinians after a number of election materials from villages near Hebron and Jenin in the West Bank deliberately excluded the names of women. The materials were intended for Palestinian local elections, originally scheduled for next month, but which have now been postponed.

The Times says that researchers from Tel Aviv University have engineered algae to produce hydrogen, potentially turning pond scum into a source of fuel.

The Telegraph reports that the UK government intends to introduce legislation which will ban local councils from using taxpayer-funded pension funds to boycott Israel. The article says that two of the country’s biggest unions, Unison and Unite have published guidance or passed motions calling for boycotts. Communities and Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid is quoted saying that these types of boycotts undermine community relations and fuel anti-Semitism.

On Syria, the Guardian says that the ceasefire brokered by the US and Russia came into effect last night, but was struggling to take hold following explosions in Aleppo, Deraa and elsewhere. Meanwhile, the online editions of the Times, Telegraph and Financial Times cover comments made by President Bashar al-Assad, who vowed to “recover every area” of Syria.

In the Israeli media, the top story in Maariv, Yediot Ahronot and Israel Hayom remains Hillary Clinton’s health issues during a 9/11 memorial on Sunday and the subsequent impact on her presidential election campaign.

In local news, there is prominent coverage of a speech delivered by Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman at Ariel University in the West Bank. Yediot Ahronot, Israel Hayom and Maariv focus on Lieberman’s comments regarding Elor Azaria, the soldier currently standing trial in a military court on suspicion of unlawfully killing a Palestinian assailant in Hebron who no longer posed a threat. Lieberman said: “We will stand by the soldier, even if he erred.”

Meanwhile, Haaretz focuses on another aspect of his speech in which Lieberman said that the West Bank settlement outpost of Amona will be evacuated as it is built on private Palestinian land.

Both Israel Hayom and Israel Radio report that two female Israeli soldiers were rescued from the Palestinian city of Tulkarm last night by PA security forces. They mistakenly entered the city after being directed there by the navigation app Waze. Their car was stoned and both were lightly injured before being rescued and handed over to the IDF.

The top story in Haaretz is coverage of a comment made by Education Minister and Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett, who said that “Jewish studies are more important in my opinion than maths and science” and that “even as a high-tech world power, an exporter of information and innovation to the world, we must be a spiritual world power”.