(Government Press Office)
Haaretz - http://www.haaretzdaily.com
Ma'ariv - http://www.maariv.co.il
Yediot Aharonot - http://www.ynet.co.il
Globes - http://www.globes.co.il
Jerusalem Post - http://www.jpost.com
Hazofeh - http://www.hazofe.co.il
Haaretz comments: "The prosecution and defense in Tali Fahima's trial reached an agreement under which she will plead guilty to several charges and be sentenced to a jail term of three years. In practice, Fahima will go free in 10 months, should the court approve the plea bargain. The subdued ending of the Fahima affair raises tough questions about its beginnings. When the indictment was filed last December, Fahima was charged with aiding the enemy in wartime - an offense punishable by a life sentence... It boils down to one of two options: Either Tali Fahima is a threat to national security, or else she is the victim of a false charge... It is difficult to believe that the state is prepared to set free in another 10 months somebody who until a moment ago was kept in solitary confinement because of the danger she posed... The state prosecutor's office is supposed to serve as a barrier to such false suits, and the courts are supposed to take the air out of balloons floated by investigators and prosecutors; but in this case, it looks like everyone bowed their heads before bogus security considerations."
The Jerusalem Post writes: "Meretz MK Yossi Sarid's decision to retire from politics might be seen as a natural step for someone who has served 32 years in the Knesset... He ends a career of principled leftist ideals. He was an ardent supporter of the Oslo Accords and objected to the unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon, preferring a negotiated agreement with Syria that would have included the return of the Golan Heights. As Sarid said Thursday, 'I am flattered that at least I am not in the list of people who are moving from one side to another. I am leaving politics wearing the same shirt that I entered with.' "
Hatzofeh asserts that, "The withdrawal from the Gaza Strip was not so vital from a security point-of-view," and says that, "The Disengagement Plan hasn't really improved Israel's security situation as the prime minister promised."
Yediot Aharonot predicts that the struggle against corruption will be much discussed during the coming election campaign, yet dismisses it all as "lip service," since neither the various allegations against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon nor the conviction of his son, Kadima MK Omri Sharon, have had the slightest effect on the former's popularity. The editors conclude that the average Israeli voter really does not care much about corruption in public life.
Yediot Aharonot, in its second editorial, suggests that party loyalty among voters is much more tenuous than has been commonly believed.