The Independent reports that Israeli President Isaac Herzog has said that a component of his upcoming trip to Turkey will be to focus on creating a regional alliance to combat climate change. The regional alliance will Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey along with Egypt Jordan, the UAE and the Palestinians. Herzog said he wanted to forge “a regional partnership for addressing the climate crisis.”

The Guardian reports on the danger facing Israel should a shadow war break out between Israel and Iran following an agreement on the JCPOA. The report notes “The restored deal is set to maintain the original’s timeframes, meaning limits on uranium enrichment will still expire in 2025. For Israel, the outcome is much worse than the maligned 2015 accord. Tehran has not just made significant technological progress, which will only be monitored for the next three years, it is also about to receive $7bn in released frozen assets, as well as sanctions relief on exports such as oil. This money, Israel believes, will be funnelled to Iran’s proxies across the region, and the international legitimacy conferred by the nuclear accord could encourage the Islamic Republic to be bolder in its regional ambitions.”

The Associated Press reports that an Israeli airstrike in Damascus on early Thursday morning killed three soldiers and cause severe material damage material damage, according to State TV. Israel did not comment on the attack, although it has acknowledged more broadline that it targets bases of Iran-backed groups, most notably Hezbollah, in Syria.

The Guardian reports on the Delia arts centre in Gaza, which is one of the flew remaining outlets for Gazans to express their art. The project manager tells the paper “There are not many outlets for fun and self-expression in Gaza… we want to build up the music sector here into something that people make careers out of.”

The Economist reports on how the United Arab Emirates is attempting to crack down on corruption, as the country has become a ‘magnet for dirty money’. The report notes that “Two years ago the Financial Action Task Force, the world’s main anti-money-laundering body, urged the UAE to make “fundamental and major reforms” to crack down on financial crime. In the coming days it will decide whether the country has made enough progress. If not, it may be added to a “grey list” of problematic ones. A decision is expected by March 4th.”

The majority of the Israeli media follows the ongoing developments in the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Sima Kadmon comments in Yediot Ahronot about the split between Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yaair Lapid. She writes that Israel’s decision to back the West “is the right ideological decision, but it is liable to come at a high price. Morally speaking, Lapid is right. On the other hand, Israel has a strategic defense interest vis-à-vis the Russians. In 2014, when Russia invaded and declared that it was annexing the Crimean peninsula, Israel didn’t place a sweeping bet on the West, but tiptoed between the raindrops. This line influenced Russia’s position regarding our freedom of action in Syria. The question is whether Russia will change its attitude in wake of Israel’s position.”

Haaretz reports that hundreds of people gathered outside the Russian embassy in Tel Aviv to protest the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The demonstrators expressed solidarity with Kyiv, as the majority of participants were members of Israel’s Ukrainian community. Four people were arrested for spraying grafitti on the gates of the embassy.

Kan Radio news reports that a bomb was thrown at Israeli soldiers at a passing north of the Palestinian town of Jenin. According to a statement from the IDF the soldier fired and hit the terrorist, who was subsequently taken to a hospital.

Israel Hayom reports that 51 per cent of schools in East Jerusalem are being taught the Israeli curriculum, a figure three times lager than in 2018. The rise comes after the government launched a significant investment of 445 million NIS (£109,630) aimed at expanding the use of the Israeli curriculum in East Jerusalem. It was part of a broader framework for economic development in East Jerusalem which was passed by the Knesset in 2018.

In Maariv Ben Caspit writes about financial irregularities with the Likud party.  The allegations suggest party finances were used to pay Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal bills as well as those of his advisers, after they were accused of harassing a state witness.  Caspit asks, “Who approved granting legal assistance to Netanyahu’s advisors? Why didn’t the party make do with using one of the legal advisors it already had on retainer and for just one meeting?”  This compounds the Likud’s huge dept thought to be in the region of 65-90 million shekels (£15-20m).