The Guardian covers claims by the Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, that its campaign to isolate Israel has been boosted by the furore surrounding actress Scarlett Johansson’s decision to step down as an Oxfam ambassador. Johansson deflected criticism of her appearance in an advert for SodaStream, which maintains a factory in the West Bank, explaining that the factory provides equal employment for Palestinians and Israelis alike. The article says that there is alarm among right-wing Israeli leaders over the possible growth in boycott campaigns. However, the piece also notes that such initiatives are compromised by Palestinian shops in the West Bank which are packed with Israeli goods.

The Telegraph says the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has halted some deliveries of shelter materials to Palestinians in the Jordan Valley, a strategic area of the West Bank, claiming that Israeli authorities, wary of illegal building, have confiscated some of the materials in question.

The Independent and the Times both cover large-scale protests by ultra-Orthodox Jewish citizens across several cities in Israel yesterday, some of which turned violent. The demonstrators were opposing legislative efforts to enlist greater number of ultra-Orthodox seminary students into the Israeli army, the recent arrest of an ultra-Orthodox draft evader and a court decision which ruled that some public subsidies to seminary students avoiding the draft must be halted.

The Times reports that a 6ft tall ancient bronze statue of Apollo which could be worth up to £17million and was found in Gaza is unlikely to go on display as the Hamas authority which rules the Gaza Strip considers it an obscene nude idol.

The online editions of the Guardian and Telegraph say that agreement has been reached for trapped civilians to leave the besieged Syrian city of Homs and for aid to be delivered there. Meanwhile, the Guardian online claims that Western and Gulf states are funding a new Free Syrian Army offensive on Damascus in order to increase the chances of military gains against the Assad regime in advance of the next Geneva peace talks. The online editions of the Telegraph and Financial Times both say that Islamist rebels in Syria claim to have freed up to 300 prisoners from an Aleppo prison, following a carefully planned operation. The Guardian online reports Prime Minister David Cameron warned the House of Commons that Syria’s elimination of its chemical weapons stockpile is “now slowing.”

The Independent and Independent i say that despite US protests that it would threaten the international sanctions regime, numerous foreign delegations are already visiting Iran to investigate business opportunities there.

In the Israeli media, the headlines focus on yesterday’s violent demonstrations by thousands of ultra-Orthodox men across the country against attempts to widen the military draft. Israel Hayom’s headline simply declares “Battle over Draft”; it is also the top story in Yediot Ahronot, Maariv and Sof Hashavua. The demonstrations come ahead of a vote next week by a special Knesset committee on a bill to draft the vast majority of ultra-Orthodox seminary students. Haaretz and other publications suggest that yesterday’s protests were also part of an internal battle between ultra-Orthodox factions. In Yediot Ahronot, Yossi Yehoshua points out that the bill will in any case mean drafting ultra-Orthodox students aged 24, arguing they will be of limited value to the IDF.

Israel Radio news reports that two rockets were fired yesterday evening from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip into southern Israel. There were no damages or injuries reported.

Meanwhile, Haaretz suggests that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told ministers that he does not intend to split his Likud Party over peace talks, with some Likud Knesset members having expressed virulent opposition to various aspects of a potential peace agreement with the Palestinian Authority.