Israel has returned to international media, but this time, instead of fighter planes or rockets, the focus of the reports is civilian: the President Katsav affair.
It appears that, in the eyes of the world, Israel has returned to a state of routine. The headlines on "disproportional force" have been replaced with those on "the sex scandal rocking Israel".
More than one paper published an item on the affair Monday, pursuant to a police recommendation
that the president be charged with rape. British papers 'The Guardian'
and 'The Times' featured the topic on the front pages.
The Guardian and American newspaper 'New York Times' published, along with the articles, a profile of President Katsav (not a known figure among foreign readers) and a summary of events so far.
Even in France, where sex scandals are a regular occurrence, the president didn't escape notice. Newspaper 'Le Monde'
published on its front pages an article with the heading: 'Israeli president involved in rape scandal'.
With the announcement of Katsav's decision
to abstain from attending the opening of the Knesset's winter session, many television stations also entered the playing field, moving the item up to the first fifteen minutes of the broadcasts.
England's BBC did one better and posted the item as the top headline on their website,
with the headline "Katsav avoids parliament opening" and containing several choice quotes from the police.
British TV station Sky News broadcast a live item with a field report in Jerusalem. CNN also broadcast a piece on the topic, combining interviews with Katsav's lawyers, the complainant's lawyer Kineret Barashi, and Israeli reporter Razi Barkai, who served as a commentator.
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