Ehud Olmert escapes community service The sentence, which comes at the end of a corruption trial that has lasted more than two years, means that Mr Olmert could choose to run for a seat in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, when elections are held next year. The verdicts were hailed as a triumph for Mr Olmert by his supporters, who argued that he had been vindicated in his claims that he was hounded from office by his political rivals. His resignation dealt a potentially significant blow to the Middle East peace process, with Mr Olmert maintaining that he had come closer than any of his predecessors to securing a formal deal with the Palestinians. Mr Olmert had previously told the court that he should be spared any penalty because of the price he had already paid in losing his job as prime minister. The state prosecutor, however, argued that he should serve six months of community service. The fact that he escaped with only a fine will make it easier for Mr Olmert to return to politics. Several legislators in the Kadima party he once led have privately spoken of their desire to see him return, perhaps as the leader of a new centrist bloc. Mr Olmert still has legal battles ahead, however. He faces charges in a separate case in which he is accused of taking bribes in a real estate scandal when he was mayor of Jerusalem. The issue of whether his present conviction amounts to "moral turpitude" could also be resurrected if he attempts to make a political comeback. In return for agreeing to give up the benefits to which he is entitled as a former prime minister, the prosecution agreed to ask the court not to make a moral turpitude ruling for as long as Mr Olmert remains out of politics.