The Guardian online reports that a Palestinian attacker was shot dead yesterday by Israeli soldiers near Ofra in the West Bank, after he attempted to stab another soldier. The report also mentions a separate incident yesterday in which a Palestinian opened fire on Israeli soldiers near the West Bank city of Tulkarm. It follows a shooting attack earlier this week, in which three Israeli soldiers were injured, one seriously.

The Independent reports on clashes which took place on Wednesday at the Western Wall in Jerusalem between ultra-Orthodox Jews and Reform and Conservative Jewish leaders over prayer arrangements at the site. The Reform and Conservative worshippers were attempting to hold a mixed gender prayer service and protest over the Israeli government’s failure to establish an egalitarian prayer space in the vicinity of the Western Wall as mandated by a Supreme Court ruling.

The Times says that an exit poll of American expats in Israel who cast their vote in the US election resulted in 49 per cent supporting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and 44 per cent voting for Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton. The turnout of American voters in Israel has decreased from 80,000 in the 2012 to just 30,000 this year. The article notes that in 2012, 85 per cent of American voters in Israel voted for Republican candidate Mitt Romney.

The Financial Times reports that Egypt has devalued its currency and allowed it to float freely, as the Cairo government takes steps to meet conditions for a £9.6bn loan from the International Monetary Fund.

The i says that Iranian airline Mahan Air, which is subject to US sanctions after allegations it ferries weapons and fighters to Syria, has opened 15 commercial routes to European destinations.

In the Israeli media, the top story in Haaretz, which is also prominently reported in Yediot Ahronot, Maariv and Israel Hayom, is a sharp clash between Supreme Court Chief Justice Miriam Naor and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked over the future of the judicial appointments system. Naor asked Shaked to speak out against a draft bill, which would give the judicial selection committee the power to make appointments with a simple majority, rather than the current system of a special majority. Naor described Shaked’s silence on the issue as “tantamount to placing a gun on the table”.

Writing in Yediot Ahronot, Tova Tzimuki calls Naor’s comment “premature and excessive hysteria”.

The top story in Israel Hayom and a major item in Yediot Ahronot, is coverage of new senior IDF appointments were confirmed yesterday. The appointments were approved by Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman on the recommendation of IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot. Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi has been appointed as the new IDF Deputy Chief of Staff, and Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin as the new Israel Air Force commander.

Israel Radio news this morning reported details of a protest last night by hundreds of journalists and producers in Tel Aviv. They were demonstrating against plans spearheaded by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to prevent the January launch of a new public broadcasting corporation. The report also says that the head of the Histadrut labour union Avi Nissenkorn has threatened widespread industrial action if the new corporation is shut down.

Israel Radio also reported on a request by the High Court for the Attorney General to explain within the next 90 days why rules governing rest hours do not apply to the football industry. Many of the matches in Israel’s football leagues take place on the Jewish Sabbath. A petition submitted by the Movement for a Jewish State claims that hundreds of footballers are forcibly employed on the Sabbath against their wishes.