The Independent and the Daily Telegraph report on a letter sent by Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi to Israel’s President Shimon Peres, the first official message sent by the new Islamic leadership saying “let’s work for peace”. The Guardian, meanwhile, reports that the Muslim Brotherhood denied the letter. BBC online continues to cover the fighting in Syria, reporting thousands of people are trapped in Aleppo.BBC online also covers the expiration of the Tal Law exempting religious seminary students from military service and the IDF’s instructions to prepare a “practical proposal” to deal with ultra-Orthodox recruits. There is continued comment on US Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s foreign excursion. The Independent comments on “a foreign trip from hell”, but despite infuriating the Palestinians he is still on course for the race to become US president. The Daily Telegraph, Independent and the Sun report that Suha Arafat has requested a French judicial investigation into the death of her husband Yasser Arafat, after it was revealed that he was allegedly poisoned with polonium.

Prime Minister Netanyahu last night gave a series of TV interviews, addressing security and economic issues, but primarily focusing on Iran nuclear threat. In today’s newspapers, Haaretz, Maariv and Israel Hayom quote the PM who responded to apparent objections within the IDF command for a strike on Iran. Netanyahu responded by saying, “the political echelon makes decisions, the military echelon carries them out”. Ben Caspit in Maariv criticises the media focus on Iran as a “hollow media spin” to divert attention away from recent austerity measures. Yediot Ahronot in fact leads with an economic story, announcing unemployment is rising, 7.2% in June, from 7.1% in May and 6.5% at the end of 2011. Yediot Ahronot also reports that Israel and the Palestinian Authority last night signed an economic agreement. Haaretz shows the letter President Peres received from the new Egyptian President Morsi that was then denied by Cairo. Israel Hayom follows the expiry today of the Tal law which allowed deferment of military service for ultra orthodox men.