City AM reports that the UK Israel Business group awarded the London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) its “British company of the year”. UK Israel Business, which supports bilateral trade between the two countries, recognised the LSE at a central London dinner last night attended by more than 400 people. The Chief Executive of UK Israel Business, Hugo Bieber, said the LSE had been chosen “because of their great professionalism and practical commitment to helping UK investors and shareholders develop productive links with Israeli firms”.

The Telegraph, BBC News Online and the Daily Mail via AP report that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem has reopened, three days after Christian leaders closed it in protest at plans to tax non-religious Church properties in the city. Jerusalem’s Mayor Nir Barkat suspended the tax plans on Tuesday. A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said a “professional team” would be appointed to come up with a solution to tax measures imposed by Israeli authorities in Jerusalem firmly opposed by Christian leaders.

The Guardian and the Daily Mail via AP reports that an Israeli court said it will delay the extradition hearing of a woman accused of sex crimes in Australia until a psychiatrist could review her case. Australia wants Malka Leifer, 54, extradited for allegedly sexually abusing children while she was a teacher and principal at an ultra-Orthodox Jewish school in Melbourne and faces 74 counts of child sex abuse. Israeli police have said she is feigning mental illness to avoid extradition. Israel’s court administration said on Tuesday that the court would convene again on 28 March after the psychiatric evaluation has been carried out, indicating that an extradition decision could be made sooner. Leifer was arrested after an undercover investigation at Interpol’s request and is suspected of obstructing Israeli court proceedings by attempting to hide evidence.

BBC News Online, the Times, the Independent, the Guardian and the Telegraph details a UN report that North Korea has been sending equipment to Syria that could be used to make chemical weapons. Some 40 previously unreported shipments were made between 2012 and 2017, according to the UN. Materials included acid-resistant tiles, valves and pipes. The report which has yet to be released said North Korean missile specialists had been seen at Syrian weapon-making centres. The allegations follow new reports of chlorine being used by Syrian regime forces, which the government denies.

BBC News Online, the Times, the Independent, the Guardian, the Telegraph, the Financial Times and the Daily Mail all report on the current conflict area in eastern Ghouta. Air strikes and mortar attacks continued on the besieged Syrian enclave on Tuesday, despite a Russian-organised ceasefire. The truce broke down minutes after its scheduled 9am start, with government troops shelling the rebel pocket before opposition fighters returned fire. The violence prevented the delivery of aid and left the humanitarian corridor impassable. “We have reports this morning there is continuous fighting in eastern Ghouta,” said Jens Laerke, a UN humanitarian spokesman. “Clearly the situation on the ground is not such that convoys can go in or medical evacuations can go out.” The UN Security Council last week unanimously passed a resolution demanding a 30-day cessation of hostilities. However, Russia, which backs the Syrian government, unilaterally proposed a less ambitious plan for a five-hour daily “humanitarian pause” to allow in aid and open up safe corridors for civilians to evacuate.

The Israeli media report on the text messages sent between judge Ronit Poznanski-Katz and investigator Eran Shaham-Shavit regarding suspects in Case 4000. The ombudsman of the Israeli Judiciary, Eliezer Rivlin, published a summary of his review of the conduct of Poznanski-Katz, concluding that the correspondence had not resulted in a miscarriage of justice, but describing the informal relationship as unacceptable, noting that “familiarity breeds contempt.”

Yediot Ahronot leads with the headline “Undue familiarity between judge and investigator” while Maariv reports on recommendation to take disciplinary action against Poznanski-Katz. Haaretz focuses on Rivlin’s conclusion that the while dialogue between judge and prosecutor was wrong, it did not bias the trial. Israel Hayom reports details of a survey from New Wave Research Polling Institute in which 59% declare that their “confidence in Justice system was undermined”.

Kan Radio News reports that Supreme Court President Esther Hayut and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked are due to issue their decision today on the matter of Judge Ronit Poznanski-Katz, with the two expected to adopt the recommendation of the Ombudsman.

Kan Radio News also reports that new evidence has raised suspicions of breach of trust by Netanyahu, because he declared that he did not have a friendly relationship with Bezeq controlling shareholder Shaul Elovitch, and because he allegedly continued to deal with matters pertaining to the company even after undertaking not to do so because of how this would look to the public.

Maariv reports that law enforcement sources have said they believed the primary reason for keeping the suspects Elovitch and Hefetz in custody is because the Prime Minister has not yet been questioned in connection to this case. The paper says that Netanyahu us due to be questioned in two days and will be confronted with “significant evidence”

In other news, the Jerusalem Post reports that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre has reopened after an intervention by Netanyahu.

Israel Hayom report on a New York Times article that claims European states are willing to pressure Iran on its ballistic missiles program.

Haaretz, Yediot Ahronot and Times of Israel all report on a new Iranian military base near Damascus.