The BBC and The Daily Telegraph report Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirming that six Israeli citizens have been arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of raping a British tourist. A statement said the Israeli embassy had been informed and that its consul was in contact with local authorities.

The Independent reports on the delay to the Supreme Court’s hearing on Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s refusal to convene the Judicial Selection Committee. The hearing will now take place on September 19^th, and “under normal circumstances… Levin’s position would have been represented by the attorney general. But after [Israel AG Gali] Baharav-Miara made clear she opposed the overhaul and Levin’s position, he requested the hearing be delayed so he had time to seek independent counsel. ‘This is all highly exceptional,’ said Amichai Cohen, a constitutional law professor and senior fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank. Until the current government took office, he said, the attorney general and government rarely took separate positions. ‘Usually there is a dialogue in which a unified position is adopted,’ he said.”

The Financial Times features Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative, confirming reports from Monday naming Johan Floderus, a Swedish citizen who works for the European External Action Service, the EU’s diplomatic service, as the diplomat “illegally detained” for more than 500 days by Iran. Borrell demanded Floderus’ release, while the paper reports that “Iran’s intelligence ministry announced last July that its agents had detained a Swedish national on charges of espionage as he was about to leave the republic. It said the man, who it did not identify, had been in contact with ‘several European and non-European suspects’ and visited Israel before his trip to Iran.”

The Israeli media is dominated by discussion of our main item – the failure of the compromise proposal on judicial reform. Israel Hayom’s Yehuda Schlesinger – hitherto a loyal supporter of the reforms – urges the coalition to abandon the programme. “The time has come,” he writes, “to say something that has been hanging heavily in the air out loud—better to fold than to continue to crawl. The time has come for the prime minister to call a press conference and to formally announce that the judicial reform is off the agenda for good. We tried and failed. We lost. Time to move on… everyone knows… the protest movement won.”

Yediot Ahronot’s Moran Azulay speculates on the current motives of Prime Minister Netanyahu. “Informed sources about the comings and goings behind closed doors,” he says,  “said that Netanyahu’s biggest fear is of a court decision to have the new incapacitation law apply only as of the next Knesset, which would leave him vulnerable… He couldn’t care less about the grounds of reasonability. The same goes for the other issues that his justice minister is eager to advance. In order to escape the possibility that he might be declared incapacitated, Netanyahu is prepared to make far-reaching compromises and to go to great lengths. If, by the bye, those efforts also significantly reduce the scale of the protests and provide him with a foreign policy achievement with Saudi Arabia—which some of his advisers see as his only emergency escape hatch from the political morass—even better.” In assessing why this apparent desire for compromise has not resulted in acceptance of the proposals however, Azulay argues that “Netanyahu no longer has exclusive control over the slew of competing interests and the various obstacles along the way. His options are very limited given his determination to preserve his 64-seat coalition. Levin and his camp within the Likud and the coalition have become a force to reckon with, as was documented in plain view during the dramatic vote on the bill to reduce the application of the grounds of reasonability. It was clear that Netanyahu simply couldn’t control them.”

Haaretz’s Amos Harel, too, assesses the prime minister’s motivations: “even if nothing comes of the [compromise] talks, Netanyahu has a lot to gain just from reports about them. Domestically, he sends a message of willingness to compromise, which could improve his position when the Supreme Court starts hearing a series of petitions against the overhaul next week. And any report that the government is showing more flexibility could sow confusion and division in the protesters’ ranks… Netanyahu also hopes to reap diplomatic benefits. Reports of progress in the compromise talks could help him in his effort to be invited to the White House by U.S. President Joe Biden.”

Army Radio reports that for the second time in two days, IDF troops have raided the Jenin refugee camp and arrested an activist associated with the Fatah-affiliated Tanzim militia. Mohammed Narnariya, a senior member of Fatah’s al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades who oversaw military operations and dispatched terrorists to commit their attacks had previously been imprisoned by Israel. The station reports that exchanges of fire were underway this morning between IDF troops and armed Palestinians.

Israel Hayom reports that senior government officials, including Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Gallant and Finance Minister Smotrich, will meet today to discuss Gallant’s value of service bill, which proposes to raise the salaries of those serving in the IDF. Gallant is said to be requesting an additional 10 billion shekels (£2.08 billion) for the purpose, while Smotrich is said to be prepared to offer less than 6 billion (£1.25 billion). The bill is part of the government’s effort to mollify critics of the proposed formalising of the exemption of ultra-Orthodox men from the military draft. Alongside the value of service bill and the draft bill itself, the government is also working on Basic Law: Torah Study, which would grant legal equality between the status of yeshiva students and IDF soldiers. This bill anticipates the Supreme Court striking down a draft exemption on the grounds that allowing one sector of Jewish Israelis to avoid the burden of service in the “people’s army” breaches the principle of equality. The paper also reports that ultra-Orthodox coalition factions will not tolerate further delay on the legislation, their main legislative priority, and that they are supportive of abandoning the judicial reforms in service of it. One ultra-Orthodox source told the paper: “We don’t care if there is a reform or not. We’re not going to give in on the draft bill. There won’t be a third time.”

Amid the ongoing talks aimed at a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Ynet examines the potential for normalisation with another major Islamic nation – Indonesia. Israeli officials, the site says, are holding confidential talks with Indonesian counterparts. On the chances of success, “the upcoming February 2024 elections for the Indonesian presidency, vice presidency and parliament will be critical to whether Jakarta opts to establish official ties with Jerusalem… Outgoing Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who has publicly maintained a hostile stance toward Israel during his tenure, will be stepping down after serving the maximum 10-year term.” The site also reports that, as with the Saudi process, the Biden Administration is involved on the Indonesian track.

Kan Radio reports that the Eritrean dictatorship has accused the Mossad and other global intelligence organisations around the world of being behind the riots that accompanies the various international markings of its independence in recent days. Of the violence in Tel Aviv, which saw over 130 people hospitalised (including over 30 police officers), Haaretz reports that more than 50 Eritreans suspected of involvement are being transferred to a prison in central Israel on Tuesday without appearing before a judge. Among those arrested over the weekend, approximately 14 are known to be Eritrean regime supporters and 20 regime opponents. On Monday night, police arrested a pro-Eritrean regime asylum seeker on suspicion of carrying an unlicensed firearm during the clashes on Saturday.

Israel Hayom reports Papua New Guinea yesterday moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. In a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Netanyahu, the small state joined the US, Kosovo, Guatemala, and Honduras in making the move.