The Times highlights efforts by the UK, United States and France to draft a United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution which will codify the implementation of the US-Russia plan on Syrian chemical disarmament, agreed over the weekend in Geneva. However, the online editions of the Guardian and Independent quote Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, suggesting that disagreement remains between Russia and the United States over the potential use of force against the Assad regime. The Guardian, Times, Independent, Financial Times and Telegraph all cover the report by UN chemical inspectors which yesterday revealed that significant amounts of sarin gas was used last month in Syria in what the UN Secretary General described as the most serious use of chemical weapons in twenty five years.

An editorial in the Times argues that diplomatic progress over Syrian chemical weapons must not deter the West from pursuing military options to combat Iran’s nuclear development if needed. Meanwhile, the Financial Times includes an interview with Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz who also says that Iran should face a credible and concrete military threat over its nuclear programme.

The Telegraph covers a report from yesterday’s Maariv which said that sixteen right-wing MKs, including deputy ministers Danny Danon and Ze’ev Elkin have written a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him to pledge not to cede land to the Palestinian Authority (PA). Meanwhile, the Independent includes a feature on a dilemma facing Arab schools in East Jerusalem who have been given the option of adopting the Israeli curriculum, considered by many to be a higher academic standard, as an alternative to the current uniform teaching of the PA curriculum. The Independent also reports that Israel’s Supreme Court yesterday ruled against a law which permitted the internment of African migrants without charge for up to three years. The state has been given ninety days to release two thousand detainees and to review their claims as refugees. The Times includes a brief item reporting that Israeli military authorities have returned land in the northern West Bank to Palestinians following a thirty five year dispute.

The online editions of both the Guardian and Times report that Egyptian military forces have re-captured the town of Delga, driving out Islamist gunmen who had occupied it for the past two months and in that time vandalised churches and reportedly persecuted Christians living there.

The main item in the Israeli media this morning is the unanimous ruling yesterday by the Supreme Court which struck down a law allowing for the internment for up to three years of African migrants who entered Israeli illegally. Tens of thousands of Africans have entered Israel without permission over the last few years and two thousand were being held in a detention facility in southern Israel under the law. The court gave the state ninety days to release the detainees and to rule on their status. This is one of the top stories in Yediot Ahronot, Israel Hayom, Haaretz and Makor Rishon. According to Israel Radio news, Prime Minister Netanyahu pledged to uphold the court’s decision while at the same time continuing to spearhead efforts to cope with the problem of illegal infiltration.

Meanwhile, both Maariv and Makor Rishon cover a story from a German daily which claims that Iran’s President Hassan Rowhani is prepared to stop work at the Fordow nuclear plant on condition that international sanctions on Iran are dropped.

Another significant item this morning is coverage of a horrific murder in Jerusalem yesterday, in which a mother appeared to stab her two children to death before attempting to commit suicide. This story is covered extensively by Yediot Ahronot, Haaretz, Makor Rishon and Israel Hayom.