Two toxic situations

Friday’s front pages of the Hebrew press are divided between a tragic industrial accident that killed one firefighter and the continuing worry about Jerusalem.

“The ammonia tragedy” is how Israel Hayom characterizes the deadly chemical leak that occurred in an industrial zone just north of Netanya. The leak killed one firefighter, Samer Asli, and injured 23 people, one of them seriously. Emergency teams told people around the area to stay in their homes, close their windows and turn off the air conditioning to avoid any exposure to the ammonia. According to the paper, the initial investigation points to human error as the cause of the leak.

The paper also includes a little article by Dr. Yossi Inbar who explains what ammonia is and why it can be so damaging. Basically, it’s a compound made of nitrogen and oxygen that is used extensively as a coolant, notably in the frozen food industry. Ammonia can be quite dangerous in highly concentrated dosages, but usually when such leaks occur it is the person who caused the leak who is the most seriously injured (since they are closest to the concentrated ammonia). Plants are designed so ammonia flows in only short pipes to minimize the risk of a large spill. Inbar writes that he can’t remember an incident where so much ammonia spilled (8 tons), suggesting perhaps a design flaw in the plant.

Half of Yedioth Ahronoth’s front page is dedicated to the ammonia leak while the other half is devoted to Jerusalem. “A day that will test the Temple Mount,” reads the headline, and the paper goes on to explain that 3,500 police have been deployed across the city on Friday to grapple with any more rioting. Police have also placed concrete barriers at light rail stations across the city to try to prevent further terror attacks with cars. Despite all the preparations, the paper writes, “all eyes are on Friday prayers at the Temple Mount.”

Haaretz’s front page also deals with the ongoing situation in Jerusalem, but the left-leaning paper puts the blame on right-wing ministers for future outbreaks. “Intelligence sources warn Netanyahu: right-wing provocations on the Temple Mount will lead to clashes,” reads the headline. The paper reports that Netanyahu was warned by various intelligence sources over the past year that the Temple Mount was becoming a security concern. The sources said that a mix of right-wing Jewish statements and statements from the Palestinians showed a brewing storm. The paper faults Netanyahu for doing too little, too late to reign in his right-wing ministers.

Israel Hayom’s Dan Margalit writes the goal now is to simply calm everyone down. By fanning the flames of religious nationalism, no one wins, but everyone loses, he says. “The Temple Mount is the gem of two religions. The primacy of Judaism is an important fact, but does not delete the legitimate presence of Islam. In this situation there is no good solution, but a painful compromise.” Margalit goes on to urge that any solution be implemented, even a temporary one, before the violence spreads to the West Bank. If that happens, “the Arab states will be forced to stand reluctantly with the Palestinians, and Israel will find itself in armed conflict it does not want.”

Israel Hayom writes that Jerusalemites are still riding the light rail trains, but less. One passenger told the paper, “Every time I get off the train, I look sideways to see if a [terrorist’s] car is coming.” While some passengers are undeterred, others have decided to forgo the train for a while. Another Jerusalemite, Michal, said, “After the recent attacks, I’ve decided not to ride the train in the near future. It is an unnecessary risk. I’ll wait until things calm down.”

While one terror attack Wednesday understandably upset Israelis, it looks like what was thought to be a second attack that day, may have just been an accident. Haaretz reports that security sources say the incident, in which three IDF soldiers were injured in the West Bank when a car plowed into them and sped away, appeared to be a hit-and-run accident. The driver of the car turned himself in on Thursday morning, along with another suspect. Still, police and security services have not ruled definitively on it one way or another.

Olmert is corrupt?

In some damning testimony against her former boss, Ehud Olmert, Shula Zaken told the court on Thursday that the former prime minister taught her how to lie. Yedioth reports on her testimony and highlights in the paper the most destructive statements. “I lied, but my lies were at his request [Olmert’s], and the money was for the lawyers to defend me so I could tell the lies he wanted me to tell,” she told the court. She also said, “From 1988 [when she started working for Olmert] he taught me to lie. He taught me the method behind lying.”

Yedioth also includes an accompanying article that tells of recorded conversations between Zaken and her psychic. In some of the recordings, it sounds like the psychic is urging Zaken to extort money from Olmert. The psychic tells Zaken, “You need to make him think you could turn and be a state’s witness, despite that you wouldn’t ever do that. But let him think that you are considering it. Why? You say you need 100,000 shekels (about $29,000) now for my hungry kids.” To all this Zaken responded, “Sounds good.”