Fasting while furious

Ehud Olmert’s saga of multiple corruption trials took one step toward conclusion on Monday when the former prime minister received a one-year suspended sentence and a fine for his conviction for breach of public trust. But that decision is not sitting well with everyone, especially the prosecutors.

Haaretz leads with the straightforward headline, “Probation for Olmert; prosecutors expected to appeal.” The article quotes Eli Abarbanel, the Jerusalem prosecutor who headed the case for the state, who said, “We’ve thought about the principle and fairness in the eyes of the law and we cannot permit Olmert to receive a punishment any less than community service.”

Israel Hayom also leads with the same story but points out on its front page, “A first in Israel as a former prime minister has received a suspended sentence.” Inside Dan Margalit writes an opinion piece, “Olmert’s people are afraid of the Supreme Court, and they know why.” In the piece, Margalit points back to the successful corruption prosecution in Tel Aviv in the 1950s of the police superintendent, Yehezkel Saha. That case went all the way to the Supreme Court, a place where Margalit believes that truth will prevail. “Why? Because it is the truth, and because Israel can not live with the darkness of envelopes of money.” Margalit concludes by pointing out that other, more recent, politicians have been convicted of corruption like Omri Sharon and former tourism minister Avraham Hirschson, all in Tel Aviv. “Are there no judges in Jerusalem? Maybe. But there are judges in Tel Aviv.”

Yedioth Ahronoth shows a smiling Olmert on its front page, its headline noting that “The heavy price that Olmert paid is probation and a fine.” The two pages of coverage include an opinion piece by Nahum Barnea who, in almost direct opposition to Margalit, titles his piece “There are judges in Jerusalem.” Barnea writes, “What began as a cluster of investigations, more of less, gradually became a witch hunt. The hunt reached its peak with the Talansky Affair.” Barna credits the judges with giving Olmert a sentence that is appropriate to for his crime.

Maariv, which only ran a small sentence on its front page, gave its readers the bottom line in the article headline, “Olmert can return to politics.” More pressing for Maariv is its lead story, “The prime minister will reveal red lines for Iran.” In the short article, which despite the prominent headline is pushed back to Page 6, explains that during his upcoming speech at the UN on Thursday, Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to lay out what Israel expects from the international community to stop Iran.

While Maariv expects Netanyahu to speak about red lines, Haaretz reports that US President Barack Obama is not expected to do so in his UN speech, which will be delivered on Tuesday morning in New York. The paper quotes a White House official, stating that there is one red line, “We have one red line and that is a nuclear Iran.”

While the focus in New York may be on red lines, Israel Hayom reports that Google Street View is crossing the Green Line. The paper reports that Ariel, Sha’arei Tikva, and Oranit will be photographed for Google’s Street View. Those cities join Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa, which are already live on the 3D mapping service, and more Israeli cities will soon be added, including Beersheba and Katzrin.

Maariv continues to follow up on the story of the Caracal soldier who has received accolades for her conduct during a terror attack on Friday in which she killed a terrorist from 100 meters away. Maariv quotes the modest soldier: “If I was a hero, I would be dead.” The article also relates the story of another soldier who hid behind the bushes during the firefight. After the dust cleared, the IDF feared that the soldier had been kidnapped but then found her an hour later. She explained that she hid out of fear of being hit by friendly fire.

While all involved were relieved that the soldier was not kidnapped, there was joy at another form of kidnapping on Sunday night in Los Angeles. Yedioth reports that the Showtime show “Homeland” received four Emmys on Sunday night. “Captured the Emmy,” reads the back-page headline. Many in Israel were eagerly watching the award ceremony because “Homeland’ is based on the Israeli show “Prisoners of War,” which aired on Israeli Channel 2 in 2010.

A quiet day

As the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur is set to begin Tuesday night, all the papers provide a page or two of coverage for the holiday, in which the country effectively shuts down. Israel Hayom takes the opportunity to provide a general recap of the holiday with a weather forecast (pleasant) and quotes from Tel Avivians about whom they are requesting forgiveness from (one man requests forgiveness from a bar where he didn’t pay his tab).

Yedioth also provides general coverage of the holiday but also provides some practical information for the public. The last train is at 11 a.m., while buses cease operation between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Also included are some practical tips for those who fast on the holiday: drink lots of water before the fast and eat three to four small meals before the fast.  Looking ahead to the conclusion of the fast, the paper recommends, “When breaking the fast it is best to break it with tea or coffee and light food.”