The Times, Telegraph, Independent, Metro and Independent i report that Israel’s President Shimon Peres participated yesterday in a prayer session for peace alongside Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and Pope Francis at the gardens of the Vatican in Rome. The pontiff had invited Peres and Abbas during his recent visit to Israel and the region. All three leaders expressed their desire for peace at yesterday’s event. The Telegraph and Independent both note that the prayer session took place as Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is discouraging world leaders from dealing with the new Palestinian unity government, sworn in last week by Abbas, which is backed by Hamas.

The Telegraph online covers the resignation of Prof Mohammed Dajani from Al-Quds University in the West Bank, after he received death threats and was subject to intimidation, having led a delegation of Palestinian students on a field trip to Auschwitz in March.

The Times, Financial Times, Independent i and the online edition of the Guardian all report that a United States team headed by US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns has travelled to Geneva for talks with Iranian counterparts, headed by Iran’s deputy foreign minister. The US is apparently eager to make progress in attempts to forge a long-term deal between the P5+1 powers (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear programme. Talks between the two sides are set to resume next week. However, little progress was made last time both sides met, with significant differences on key issues such as the number of centrifuges Iran should operate.

The online editions of the Guardian and Times cover yesterday’s swearing-in of Egypt’s new President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who was elected recently with a large majority in a poll which attracted a low turn-out. The Financial Times online says that al-Sisi, who led the military ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood last summer, promised yesterday that “fighting terror” would be his top priority.

The Guardian online and the Telegraph online both cover comments made by former United Nations envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who said yesterday that Syria will be “so much worse” than Afghanistan and is in danger of disintegration into warlord-controlled regions. Meanwhile, the Independent includes a feature on jihadist group ISIS, which it describes as more successful militarily than al-Qaeda, operating with impunity in large swathes of eastern Syria and western Iraq.

In the Israeli media, Yediot Ahronot, Maariv and Israel Hayom all lead with dramatic developments over the weekend in the build-up to tomorrow’s presidential election to succeed Shimon Peres. One of the leading candidates, Labour MK Binyamin Ben-Eliezer decided to drop out of the race after police questioned him over the purchase of a property in Jaffa. All remaining candidates subsequently agreed to disclose their financial affairs. The Labour faction has given its MKs a free vote in tomorrow’s ballot. Ben-Eliezer’s decision leaves significant uncertainty over who might contest a second round of voting against current front-runner Likud MK Reuven Rivlin.

Yediot Ahronot and Maariv both highlight a speech delivered yesterday by Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid at the Herzliya Conference, in which he outlined a three-stage plan for separation from and eventual peace talks with the Palestinians. Lapid was speaking alongside other party leaders. Jewish Home’s Naftali Bennett reiterated his suggestion of annexing the Israeli-controlled areas of the West Bank. Both Lapid and Hatnuah’s Tzipi Livni said they would oppose such a move, which would result in their resignation from the government. Meanwhile, Labour’s Isaac Herzog urged both to take such action now. Israel Radio news says that unnamed sources at the Prime Minister’s Office have criticised Lapid’s plan as naïve.

Haaretz says that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed Likud ministers to vote in favour of a bill, which received cabinet approval yesterday, to ban clemency for prisoners convicted of nationalistically-motivated murder. Meanwhile, Israel Hayom reports that a ministerial committee yesterday approved a bill permitting doctors to prescribe euthanising medication.