The FT, BBC and Reuters report on comments by US President Donald Trump yesterday  that he is open to meeting Iranian leaders if Tehran would agree to talks. The FT reports that Trump is willing to meet without any preconditions, opening the door to possible negotiations with the Iranian regime just months after he withdrew the US from the 2015 nuclear deal. Speaking alongside Guiseppe Conte, the Italian Prime Minister, at the White House, Trump said he was prepared to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, but that he was not sure about whether the Iranians would agree. The BBC reports that Trump told reports that “I’d meet with anybody. I believe in meetings.” Reuters reports that in response, Iran said the way back to talks was for the US to return to the nuclear deal between Iran and six major powers that Trump exited in May. No US President has met with an Iranian leader since the US cut diplomatic relations with Tehran a year after the 1979 revolution that toppled the shah, a US ally.

The Independent reports that Noam Chomsky has accused Israel of “brazenly” interfering in US electoral politics. Chomsky made the comments accusing much of the media for concentrating on stories he considered marginal and ignoring issues such as the “existential threat” of climate change. In an interview with Democracy Now, Chomsky added that, “Israeli intervention in US elections vastly overwhelms anything the Russians may have done.

BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, the Guardian, Sun and Sky News report that Labour NEC member Peter Willsman claimed Jewish “Trump fanatics” were behind recent claims of antisemitism. The Guardian reports that Willsman, a member of the party’s national executive committee, was taped at a meeting this month when the NEC refused to adopt in full the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism. The Sun reports that according to a recording – obtained exclusively by the Jewish Chronicle newspaper – he said: “We should ask the 70 rabbis ‘where is your evidence of severe and widespread antisemitism in this Party?” Sky News adds that Willsman said he would not be “lectured by Trump fanatics” who he claimed, were making up claims “without any evidence at all”. Speaking on the Today Programme, political correspondent Jonathan Blake comments that Willsman, despite issuing an apology, has escaped further action. In a separate development, The Times reports that John McDonnell, has met Mr Corbyn to criticise his handling of the antisemitism scandal engulfing the party. In particular he is said to have demanded an end to disciplinary proceedings against Dame Margaret Hodge, MP.

Reuters reports that Moscow’s ambassador to Israel said on Monday that Russia cannot compel Iranian forces to quite Syria. Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov rebuffed Israel’s long-standing demand that it should work to ensure the total withdrawal of Iranian presence from the country. Viktorov said that “We can talk with our Iranian partners very frankly and openly, trying to persuade them to do or not to do something,” he said. But asked whether Russia can force Iran out, he answered: “We cannot.” The Ambassador added that Moscow could equally do nothing to prevent Israeli military strikes against Iranian forces in Syria.

In the Israeli media, all the papers continue to discuss the fallout of the Nation State law.   Maariv covers Israeli President Reuven Rivlin saying, “I can’t not sign the law, otherwise I’ll have to resign. But if I do sign, I’ll sign it in Arabic.”  The President went on to say, “The State of Israel is a Jewish and democratic state, a democratic and Jewish state, it’s one and the same. This wise, delicate and sensitive equation is the secret of the existence and the secret of the success of the State of Israel. Jewish and democratic. That is the constitutional and ideological basis on which this magnificent entire Zionist enterprise is based that is called the State of Israel. We cannot and do not wish to upset this equation. We have full responsibility toward all the young people of this country, Jews and non-Jews alike, not only to give them equal opportunities to make their dreams come true, but the opportunity to feel a part of, to feel that they belong, to feel that the State of Israel is their home.”

Haaretz and Maariv report on the latest protest letter signed by 78 retired high-ranking police officers.  They call for full equal rights and voiced their support for the minorities’ protest against the law. The retired officers, who signed this extraordinary petition, all note that they had had under their command thousands of troops from the Druze and Circassian and other communities who had taken part in defending the state’s security and had fought by their side. The retired police officers said they felt an obligation to stand by their side today and make their protest heard.  Maariv adds that a demonstration will be held this evening at the Haifa under the banner, “fighting for democracy together, for social justice and for equality.” The demonstration will be held in the mixed Hadar neighbourhood in front of the municipality building, is being organised by the Social Justice Party headed by Gad Haran and Motti Ashkenazi, who was among the leaders who protested against the leadership after the Yom Kippur War, along with other organisations. Both Yediot Ahronot and Maariv also report on the “largest Arabic lesson in the world” was held last night in Tel Aviv. Academics, artists and intellectuals read texts in Arabic, played songs and taught spoken Arabic, to protest their concern over  the demotion in the status of Arabic.

Israel Hayom publishes a strongly worded opinion piece that argues the Nation State law protects Israel from becoming a binational state and anyone who opposes the law is racist. It cites former Chief Justice Aharon Barak’s vision of “a state of all its citizens” referring to it as “the state of all its nationalities.” Hence, “without this law, at the end of the process, Arab citizens of Israel would have demanded national autonomy. They demand it now, but without the law of nationality, their path was paved.”  Furthermore, “there is no violation of individual rights or civil rights. In Israel, everyone is equal before the legal system. But the law of nationality is different….it does not deal with anything other than the issue of nationality. In this case there is no equality, there is room in the State of Israel for only one national grouping – the Jewish people.”  It also argues, “Anyone who opposes this is the racist because he does not accept the Jewish people’s right to exclusive self-determination, while he has no problem supporting a Palestinian state without Jews.”

Haaretz leads with the assessment that the IDF shared with the security Cabinet a few weeks ago on what war with Hezbollah would look like and its implications for the home front.  The article makes clear the “intelligence community still thinks the probability of war initiated by Hezbollah is low, the main concern is that local events in Syria or Lebanon will trigger an escalation.” The IDF shared damage estimates in a range of scenarios.  “The reason for the briefing was not that the top brass thinks war in the north has become more likely, but rather that the Cabinet is broadening its knowledge of security-related issues… Hezbollah has an estimated 120,000 to 130,000 missiles and rockets, most short to medium in range. About 90 percent of the rockets can reach up to 45 km, which means they could reach Haifa…. The scenarios shared with the cabinet included estimates of how many rockets would likely be fired each day, what percent of them would be intercepted, how many would strike on open land versus built-up land, and casualty estimates.”

Yediot Ahronot continues to focus on the Gaza periphery communities, describing the relative quiet of the past few days as “deceptive.” The paper notes, “Hamas hasn’t fired any rockets and no Red Colour alerts have gone off, but despite all the talk about a cease-fire, the incendiary balloon terrorism hasn’t stopped. More than ten fires were started yesterday by incendiary balloons.”  The paper quotes Eshkol Regional Council Chairman Gadi Yarkoni, who said: “For four months we’ve been living in a reality that wouldn’t be accepted anywhere in the State of Israel. Balloon terrorism is another threat to our daily life. We know that efforts are being made to put an end to the threat and we have confidence in the army, but we expect a long-term solution to be found that will allow us to focus on growth and flourishing. Despite the arson, life in our area has continues normally and we invite the Israeli public to come to visit.”

Maariv foresees the end of US peace plan efforts. They assess, “no formal announcement is expected, but it looks as if the chances of a political resolution of the conflict being reached are dead. The problem isn’t just the adamant rejectionism that has been shown by Mahmoud Abbas, the aging and ailing Palestinian leader, who repudiated President Trump’s peace plan.” According to the paper: “The party that has undermined and essentially stifled any hope of seeing Trump’s “deal of the century” bear fruit is Saudi Arabia”, they have also informed other Arab countries of its opposition to the peace plan.

Both Yediot Ahronot and Israel Hayom prominently cover what they call the “homework revolution” as the Ministry of Education make the recommendation to teachers of primary schools not to give children homework.