Yesterday’s sentencing of former-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to six years imprisonment is covered by the Guardian, Times, Telegraph, Independent, Evening Standard, Metro, Daily Mirror, Independent i and the online edition of the Financial Times. Olmert becomes the first Israeli premier to be jailed following his conviction several weeks ago of bribery relating to a real estate project during his time as Mayor of Jerusalem. Pronouncing the sentence yesterday, the judge said Olmert’s actions were a huge betrayal of public trust. Olmert is expected to launch an appeal.

The Guardian says that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has granted Israel’s Justice Minister Tzipi Livni ‘special mission’ status for an upcoming visit to London. This effectively grants her diplomatic immunity after lawyers acting for the family of a Palestinian killed in Gaza during an Israeli military operation in 2008 made efforts to secure a warrant for Livni’s arrest for ‘war crimes.’ The British government recently altered the procedures for securing such warrants under universal jurisdiction, making it harder for politically-motivated arrests to be made.

The Financial Times says representatives from both the P5+1 powers (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) and Iran are expecting difficult talks in Vienna this week over Iran’s long-term nuclear programme. The article predicts that the negotiations will likely expose big gaps on Iran’s enrichment capability. Writing in the Times, Roger Boyes warns that the West must not fall into Iran’s negotiating traps in Vienna.

Meanwhile, the Guardian reports that Saudi Arabia has invited Iran’s foreign minister to its capital Riyadh for talks about regional issues, especially their sharp differences over Syria. Both countries have actively backed opposing sides in the conflict.

The Guardian and Financial Times both cover the resignation of the United Nations (UN)-Arab League envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi; he has overseen two peace conferences in Geneva without making any tangible progress in bringing the Syrian civil war to a peaceful conclusion. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that Brahimi’s resignation was “a failure for us all.”

The Telegraph online says that France has accused the Assad regime in Syria of having used crude chemical weapons to attack civilian area on 14 recent occasions. The Guardian online reports that Human Rights Watch has documented the use of chlorine gas by the Syrian army on three towns in the north of the country in mid-April.

In the Israeli media, yesterday’s sentencing of former-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert dominates the headlines, with Israel Hayom devoting the entire first half of today’s edition to the story. It is the top story in Yediot Ahronot, Israel Hayom, Makor Rishon, Haaretz and Maariv which leads with the headline “On his way to jail.” There is also a significant amount of commentary on yesterday’s dramatic court announcement, much of it focusing on the statement made by presiding judge David Rozen who said that Olmert’s actions made him a “traitor.” Writing in Yediot Ahronot, Sima Kadmon says that although Olmert’s achievements are likely to be overshadowed by becoming the first Israeli premier to go to prison, “One does not send a person to prison, certainly not a former prime minister, with ‘traitor’ written on his forehead.” However, in Maariv, Ben Caspit says that “throughout most of the years of his career [Olmert] was tainted with corruption.”

Israel Radio news reports that Finance Minister and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid announced yesterday that he will oppose any attempt by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay the vote on succeeding President Shimon Peres, which it had been reported Netanyahu wishes to push through as a prelude to investigating the possible disbanding of the presidency altogether.

Israel Radio news also says that a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip this morning landed in an open area of the Hof Ashkelon region. No injuries or damage was reported.