The Telegraph reports that the verdict is expected today in the high-profile case of an Israeli soldier accused of unlawfully killing a wounded Palestinian assailant. Elor Azaria allegedly shot and killed the terrorist in Hebron last March, after the assailant had already been incapacitated, but Azaria claims he was concerned over the possibility that the man was wearing an explosive vest. The case has sparked sharp public debate and disagreements between political and military leaders.

The i reports on a day of mourning that took place yesterday in the Israeli Arab town of Tira, following the funeral of Layan Nasser, the 19-year-old who was killed in the New Year’s Eve terror attack in an Istanbul night club.

The Financial Times reports that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was questioned by police on Monday over allegations of illegal gifts. The article notes that his term has been “dogged by reports of extravagant spending”. The Independent says that Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked has appeared to back draft legislation spearheaded by one of Netanyahu’s Likud colleagues, which would grant the Prime Minister immunity from certain types of criminal prosecution while in office. Even if passed into law, the legislation would not be applied retroactively to protect Netanyahu.

The Guardian and Independent cover Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett’s announcement that he plans to introduce a bill to formally annex the West Bank settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim, just east of Jerusalem. The articles also note that Bennett says such a move would be a first step to annexing all of Area C, the territories of the West Bank which remain under full Israeli control as stipulated in the Oslo Accords.

The Guardian online reports that immediately after having been sworn in to the 115^th US Congress,  Republican Senators Ted Cruz, Dean Heller and Marco Rubio introduced legislation to relocate the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. President-elect Donald Trump vowed to move the embassy to Jerusalem during the election campaign. It is anticipated that such a development would anger the Palestinians.

The Daily Mail includes a feature on Tel Aviv as a travel destination, describing it as a place “where the action never stops”.

In the Israeli media, the impending verdict in Elor Azaria’s military trial dominates the front pages of Yediot Ahronot, Maariv, Haaretz and Israel Hayom. Both Yediot Ahronot and Maariv lead with the headline “Judgement Day”.

Writing in Yediot Ahronot, Yossi Yehoshua says that “whether the court convicts Azaria or acquits him, it is clear that there are no winners… and the biggest loser is Israeli society… the IDF, which always remained outside the disputes that divided Israeli society, which was a unifying factor — became a bone of contention and faced a crisis of confidence that will take time to repair.” In Maariv, Yossi Melman plays down the significance of the verdict, saying, “should Azaria be convicted, the public discourse about him will dissipate within a few days… yet even if he is acquitted, one should hope that it will remain an isolated incident and that he will not become a role model that corrupts the IDF”.

In other news, Israel Radio says that Prime Minister Netanyahu will be questioned again by police over allegations of taking illegal gifts. Channel Two quotes Netanyahu’s lawyer, who said that the Prime Minister can afford to remain calm as the allegations will produce nothing. Both Maariv and Israel Hayom cover comments by Netanyahu yesterday, who claimed to have been persecuted for years.

Israel Radio also covers comments apparently made by Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman at a closed Yisrael Beitenu meeting. He criticised Naftali Bennett’s drive to pass legislation annexing Ma’aleh Adumim, saying that such rhetoric undermines the settlement enterprise and will be diplomatically damaging.