Schlaglicht Nr. 03/11 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 20. – 31. Januar 2011

1. Unruhen in Tunesien und have to ease up a bit on their masses regarding Ägypten pricing of basic commodities and other services. […] This is not, then, a turning point in Arab or Middle In Israel werden die Entwicklungen in den ara- Eastern political history." bischen Nachbarländern zur Zeit sehr aufmerksam Barry Rubin, JPO 24.01.11 verfolgt. Nachdem zunächst in Tunesien ein Volksaufstand für die Absetzung des autokratischen The power of the people Präsidenten gesorgt hatte, halten die Proteste in "It's a civil revolution in which the people, not the Ägypten – entgegen anfänglicher Erwartungen – military, decide that they have had enough with the nun schon seit einer Woche an. Am 1. Februar system. […] demonstrierten in Kairo Hunderttausende gegen In these countries, the weakening of government Präsident Hosni Mubarak. censorship, the effective use of the Internet, state In Israel dominiert jedoch die Sorge, was geschehen bodies that lack authority, and especially the könnte, wenn der ägyptische Herrscher abtreten enormity of the suffering transform the people's muss. Obwohl das Verhältnis zwischen den beiden direct action into an act of great influence. […] Staaten aufgrund fehlender zivilgesellschaftlicher Hopefully the turmoil in Egypt, which is affecting all Beziehungen oft als "kalter Frieden" bezeichnet its allies in the Middle East and West, will encourage wird, ist Mubarak Israels wichtigster arabischer leaders there and in Arab states to quickly change Bündnispartner. Außerdem deckt Israel einen the contract between the regime and the citizens. bedeutenden Teil seines Energiebedarfs mit This is a new order that hopefully the whole region ägyptischem Erdgas ab. Würde im Nachbarland ein will move toward. It deserves to be encouraged by islamistisches Regime an die Macht kommen, the West." befürchtet Israel einen Bruch des Friedenvertrags HAA 31.01.11 Editorial sowie eine Stärkung der in den palästinensischen Gebieten. A region in ferment Bei einem Besuch von Bundeskanzlerin Angela "There are no shortcuts to the transition from Merkel betonte der israelische Premierminister tyranny to Western-style freedom. The overhasty dementsprechend, wie wichtig imposition of quasidemocratic elections, without first die Stabilität in Ägypten sei. Seine Kabinettskollegen laying the requisite groundwork, is demonstrably no wurden indes dazu angehalten, die Lage nicht zu solution. Hamas’s takeover of Gaza and Hizbullah’s kommentieren. rise to power in Lebanon are bitter proof of that. Arab countries’ fundamental and, therefore, nearly When Arab regimes tremble intractable problem is that in most cases the "There is no reason to believe that the events in institutions that form the backbone of democracy – Tunisia signal a regime change. More likely: only a an honest judiciary, a legislature guided by liberal partial leadership change. ideals, strict and equal law enforcement and a free What does it mean for other Arab countries? It calls press – do not yet exist. to their attention the stress of serious economic The turmoil sweeping this region seems to vindicate difficulties given international problems and local Clinton’s warning that the status quo of mismanagement. The signal is that governments authoritarianism is no longer sustainable. But the

1 question remains how to implement Clinton’s advice. chances of it happening are slim […]. More likely, Building the durable institutions that are needed to matters will end with the overthrow of Mubarak, a make a peaceful transition to political and economic change in leader, but not a revolution." pluralism, and thus ensuring true freedom and Matti Golan, GLO 30.01.11 democracy, is not a process that happens over- night." Arise ye workers from your slumber JPO 27.01.11 Editorial "A new, unexpected player has appeared: the public. […] This Arab street has already used these The Egypt disaster tools to depose Tunisian President Zine El Abedine "It would be enough to give some thought to the Ben Ali, and its ideas have gone viral. What if it implications of the Shah’s fall in Iran in 1979 on manages to establish democracy in Egypt? In current-day Israel in order to understand the disaster Yemen? […] And when Al Jazeera's cameras come that may befall us as result of what is happening in close to the demonstrators, it also becomes clear Egypt right before our eyes. […] Back then, the that these are not religious radicals. […] freedom-hungry youngsters became a victim of the We don't have to wait for other regimes to fall to ayatollahs. We can assume that ElBaradei and his understand that the revolution is happening before comrades will be eaten up by the Muslim Brothers our very eyes. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak even more easily. […] will not fall due to demonstrations in Cairo's Tahrir Today in Egypt there is no powerful opposition party, Square, and Yemen's ruler will also continue to rule and one of them is already under the Muslim by force. But it's a revolution of awareness and of Brothers’ control. Such outcome would bring Israel the fundamental notions of what the Middle East is. back to the situation it faced in 1966, when almost Most importantly, we need a revolution in the way everyone around us was a staunch enemy." the West views the region." Hillel Frisch, JED 31.01.11 Zvi Bar'el, HAA 30.01.11

Silence is golden The alternative is Islam "There are many pundits who would tell you that this "When the time comes for genuine elections in wave of revolt is really an extremist conspiracy led Egypt, the country's future will be determined not by by Iran/al-Qaida/Muslim Brotherhood/Al Jazeera (fill university graduates in Cairo but by 70 million in the blank) even though there has been no villagers. […] evidence to back such a claim. There’s no question They will vote for the Muslim Brotherhood because Israel must be very concerned over what is no liberal party can give them the rapid change happening in the Arab countries – but journalists desperately longed for by the masses, who suffer and columnists alike are jumping the gun when it from shortages of flour, clean drinking water, jobs comes to implications. […] and housing. This time, there’s nothing to gain by speaking out. The parties will be […] hostile to Israel, of course. The Arab world might be burning, and it’s our job is An unstable, rudderless transition period, a to keep as far away from the flames as possible. parliamentary democracy in the Turkish model, if not When events get so big and out of hand, no one the Iranian, will give rise to a religious regime that knows what the future may bring." within a few years will presumably be in control of Jeremy Ruden, JPO 31.01.11 the best-trained and best-equipped army in the Middle East." Don't expect democracy in Egypt Ron Leshem, HAA 31.01.11 "There is a lot of talk about the Tunisia effect, but the speakers don’t know if there was a revolution at Israel left all alone all, or merely a change in leadership. There is a "The uprising in Egypt reinforces Israel’s strategic substantive difference between the two concepts: in distress in the Middle East: We’re alone, without any a change of leadership the ruler is overthrown; in a allies. […] After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revolution the regime is overthrown. […] Now the came to power, he embraced President Hosni Egyptian masses […] want to oust President Hosni Mubarak and managed to form an alliance with him Mubarak. They want democracy, freedom of over the joint fear of Iranian penetration into the expression, civil rights. If they succeed in winning region. […] Mubarak’s decline now leaves them, we can talk about a revolution. But the Netanyahu without any Arab allies. […] In the near 2 future Egypt will be preoccupied with its own affairs state […]. The leaders understand that Israel is here and won’t be involved in the peace process." to stay. […] The problem is that Arab leaders - Itamar Eichner, JED 30.01.11 including the Palestinian Authority - have yet to level with their people. […] The truth is that until the 2. Enthüllungen über palästi- Palestinian people (and their leaders) make peace nensische Konzessionen with the notion that they will never have all of Jerusalem and 100% of the West Bank, or unlimited Al Jazeera TV, der arabische Fernsehsender aus refugees returning to Israel, peace will remain a Katar, hat mehr als 1,600 palästinensische pipedream." Geheimdokumente über die Friedensverhanldungen Matthew Brodsky, JED 26.01.11 mit Israel erhalten und wichtige Aspekte daraus öffentlich gemacht. What does Netanyahu want? So wird aus den Protokollen ersichtlich, dass die "This is nothing new. In fact, most of the palästinensische Führung sich bereit zeigte, die concessions 'leaked' were actually already made by israelische Annektierung weiter Teile Ostjerusalems Yasser Arafat when he accepted the Clinton hinzunehmen. Außerdem erklärte Präsident Mah- Parameters (albeit a year and a half too late). […] moud Abbas sich angeblich mit einem Rück- Israeli leaders have been misleading the public for kehrrecht für nur wenige Palästinenser zufrieden. years on the extent of Palestinian concessions, and Diese Konzessionen waren 2008 angeblich in it was convenient and comfortable for the Folge der Annapolis-Friedenskonferenz gemacht Palestinian leadership to not be completely worden. Allerdings hatte die palästinensische – so forthcoming on the details with their own public. […] wie die israelische - Bevölkerung davon nichts The recent 'leaks' of Palestinian documents testify to erfahren. Die palästinensische Führung stellte indes a willingness to meet Israeli security and other die Echtheit der Dokumente in Frage und political demands. In fact, if Netanyahu fully bezeichnete Zitate daraus als aus dem Kontext comprehends the significance of what has been gerissen. Bei der Veröffentlichung handele es sich leaked, he should be compelled to move forward um eine Schmutz-kampagne des Fernsehsenders, with the present Palestinian leadership as soon as die der rivalisierenden Hamas nützen solle. In possible. Right now the only thing that will guarantee Ramallah kam es entgegen anfänglichen Befürch- its continued rule is a peace agreement." tungen nicht zu Protesten gegen Abbas – einige Gershon Baskin, JPO 24.01.11 hundert Demonstranten protetestierten stattdessen gegen Al Jazeera. The real Palestinian concession "Had the PLO leadership respected its people, it There (still) is a partner would not be speaking out of both sides of its mouth, "The documentation […] illustrates the serious and but conducting an open debate about this demand. down-to-business approach of the Palestinians with It would have shared its conclusions with its public regards to the central core issues - borders, […]: The dreamed-of right of return is not attainable. Jerusalem and holy places. The documents testify […] yet again that Israel has found a pragmatic It is not technical problems that are preventing such Palestinian partner, interested in implementing the a democratic debate, but the failure to see the two-state solution on the basis of the 1967 borders. people as an agent of change. […] Palestinian […] [They] reflect the Palestinian leadership's deep [leaders] know how to use the resilience and frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin creativity of their people in the face of the daily Netanyahu's refusal to open a serious debate on the torture that is foreign rule. But they do not help central issues. Without a solution to these issues, translate this personal and collective stamina into a Netanyahu's declarations in support of a two-state strategy of unarmed popular struggle. […] A strategy solution are devoid of meaning." of a general popular struggle […] does not jibe with HAA 25.01.11 Editorial the perks of power that the PLO and Fatah leadership have gotten used to, and which are The Erekat retrenchment directly dependent on travel permits from the Civil "The proverbial shocker, apparently, is that Administration and contracts with USAID." Palestinian leaders are fully aware of the Amira Hass, HAA 26.01.11 compromises necessary to create a Palestinian 3 Missing a moment of truth may exact a heavy price from both sides. […] The "If the Palestinian public wills it, if its leaders have overall package presented by the Qatar-based the guts […] this episode could yield an network was a resounding 'You sold out Palestine.' unprecedented sobriety. It could mark the beginning […] Such reports and claims, which have been of the honest internalization among the peoples of repeated in various forms and more forcefully in this region that the Jews have sovereign rights here recent years, are gradually weakening the Abbas- – and that maximalist demands for the 'right of led Palestinian Authority. […] And when this is the return,' for every inch of disputed territory, for impression created by the most popular network in unchallenged control of every holy place, are simply the Arab world, can one assume this will not have not going to fly." future implications? […] This is yet another step, and David Horowitz, JPO 28.01.11 apparently a deliberate one, in weakening the PA, a move that one party stands to benefit from: The A remarkable, brilliant exercise in public Hamas movement." diplomacy Roee Nahmias, JED 25.01.11 "There is a tremendous gap between what goes on in the negotiating room, what has been said and 3. Ergebnisse der Turkel- discussed in these rooms for years and decades Kommission and what we are told by our leaders goes on in there. The cat is finally out the bag and nothing will Am 31. Mai 2010 waren neun türkische Aktivisten, be as it was before. […] die sich mit einem Schiffskonvoi auf dem Weg in The documents show that the wheel will most likely den von Israel mit einer Seeblockade belegten not be re-invented in trying to solve this conflict and Gazastreifen befanden, von einem israelischen that through the many official and unofficial Einsatzkommando getötet worden. Nun legte die negotiation rounds, the parameters of an agreement nach ihrem Vorsitzenden Jacob Turkel benannte have already been found – they just need to be Untersuchungskommission, die von der israelischen finalized. Regierung einberufen worden war, ihren Bericht vor. This is perhaps Al Jazeera’s greatest service to Darin wurde den israelischen Soldaten bescheinigt, Israelis and Palestinians alike: what our leaders nach internationalem Recht gehandelt zu haben. have been so hesitant (no to mention afraid) to Ebenso sei die Abschottung des Gazastreifens come out with and tell us, has been done for them." legal, allerdings müsse dabei das Leid der Zivil- M. Radoshitzky, JPO 28.01.11 bevölkerung minimiert werden. Außerdem sei die Militäraktion schlecht geplant gewesen und habe Israel will never get a better deal than the one it alternative Methoden zum Stoppen der Schiffe nicht rejected in Betracht gezogen. Die Untersuchungsergebnisse "The Palestinians and the Arabs raised an outcry werden nun einem UN-Ausschuss vorgelegt against the far-reaching concessions of the werden. Auch die türkische Regierung veröffent- Palestinian Authority, threatening to crush it once lichte einen Bericht, demzufolge jedoch zwei der and for all, and in Israel: silence. Aktivisten schon vor Landung der Truppen aus der Who cares about another fateful missed Luft erschossen worden seien. opportunity? […] Who cares that for a decade our leaders brazenly Flotilla raid probe needless lied to us, deceived us by saying that there's no "The Turkel Committee will not be changing the partner, that the Palestinians are evading giving world’s attitude to the flotilla incident. Those who answers, that there is no Palestinian proposal, and criticized Israel before will continue to criticize it above all, that Israel wants peace, not the tomorrow as well. […] Palestinians. In fact, the Turkel Committee was formed for We eagerly bought the lies, and now that they've appearances’ sake only – in order to provide a been exposed, we remain apathetic." response to the criticism leveled at the Israeli Gideon Levy, HAA 2.01.11 government. […] The fact that Israel critics worldwide, headed by Al Jazeera helping Hamas Turkey’s Erdogan, chose to portray the IDF "The revelations made by the Qatari network operation as a war crime does not mean we should Sunday and the ones that were expected to follow be cooperating with this. Those who feel they need 4 more committees in their lives should seek one that The Turkel Commission is fighting yesterday's would look into the reason for releasing he Marmara war terrorists the day after, or the reason why we are "The Turkel Committee’s too narrow mandate, which discussing compensation and apologies to Turkey." focuses almost entirely on the Gaza flotilla, ignores Yoaz Hendel, JED 23.11.01 the wider and more important context: Israel faces a systemic and systematic assault on its political- The report is good, the situation is bad economic model – a campaign to delegitimize it. […] "The committee […] made a dream come true for Therefore, the government, along with friends and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who appointed allies, must launch a global, systemic offense. […] it. If it had been called the Netanyahu committee it The Gaza flotilla was openly planned and could not have produced a better report. […] uninterruptedly organized over a 14- month period Turkel and his colleagues were not judges in this by NGOs, primarily in friendly countries. case, but defenders. […] Unfortunately, the Turkel Committee merely offers a Therefore the report's usefulness in terms of corrective to yesterday’s provocation. It does not diplomacy and public relations will probably be offer any new strategy, let alone a systemic review. negligible. It doesn't represent a 'committee of Israel needs much more." investigation' but rather the 'government of Israel' - Daphna Kaufman, JPO 24.01.11 the entity that is responsible for the flotilla affair. Because, after all, Netanyahu and his ministers Make Erdogan pay were afraid to appoint a state commission of inquiry, "Israel indeed lost the immediate PR battle over the whose composition would be decided by the flotilla incident and devoted many months to curbing Supreme Court." the damage, yet the time has now come to take HAA 24.01.11 Editorial advantage of the 'Turkel momentum' and initiate a counter attack on the PR and diplomatic front. […] Turkel's credibility First, Israel must highlight the close ties between the "The presumption that the Turkel Committee’s Erdogan government and the IHH, a radical Islamist findings are unreliable due to some sort of imagined organization defined as a terror group in Germany. prejudice is deeply dismaying, though entirely […] Secondly, Israel must initiate a diplomatic predictable. […] counter-offensive that would hit the Turkey’s In addition to the five Israeli members, the Turkel regime’s sensitive spots.[…] Turkey can […] be Commission also includes two international accused of brutal war crimes against the Kurdish observers […]. Are we to believe that all of these population. It is also possible to take advantage of respected scholars and experts put their reputations this opportunity in order to do historic justice and on the line in a grand Zionist conspiracy designed to recognize the Armenian Holocaust […]. 'whitewash the military'? That all those long hours of The best defense is offense, instead of investigation and inquiry were a sham? For some, compensation, apologies, or delegations of apparently, clinging to such ludicrous notions is members aimed at warming up the ties. The only preferable to internalizing that Israel’s military way to stop the Turkish aggression is by drawing red requires no 'whitewashing,' because it should not lines and boundaries for Erdogan’s regime." have been stained in the first place." Dani Magner, JED 27.01.11 JPO 24.01.11 Editorial 4. Medienquerschnitt Offer to Turkey misguided "It is a pity that Israel rushed about a month ago to Die Vielfalt der in Israel relevanten Themen kann in offer the Turkish government a compromise in einem Medienspiegel nicht umfassend wieder- respect to Ankara’s demand for an apology and gegeben werden. Um den deutschen LeserInnen compensation. dennoch einen Einblick in das breite Themen- The Israeli compromise initiative, which was met by spektrum, das in den Medien behandelt wird, zu a stubborn, uncompromising Turkish position, gewähren, veröffentlichen wir in dieser Schlag- weakens to a small extent the validity of the lichtausgabe wieder eine kleine Auswahl an unequivocal conclusions presented by the Turkel weiteren Themen, die in den vergangenen zwei Committee." Wochen die israelische Gesellschaft bewegten. Ron Ben Yishai, JED 24.01.11 5 Über die Zukunft der israelischen Linken: Will we grant a little quiet to a person who joined the army at the age of 18 and has been there ever since Time for new type of Left then? A man who served […], while leading troops "It is sad to see the party that once upon a time into the line of fire, on cold nights and in distant established this state falling apart. […] Yet perhaps lands, during wars and special operations, far away this expiry date signals that the time has come for a from home, while courageously risking his life. […] new type of Left: Israeli and Zionist. A proud Left, Where did the joy at his downfall come from, for which first knows to declare what belongs to the heaven’s sake? What did this man do that he Jewish people and only later thinks about deserves this exaggeratedly zealous atmosphere compromise. A leftist camp that knows how to against him?" object, in a clear voice, to bodies that promote Hanoch Daum, JED 24.01.11 Israel’s de-legitimization without fearing some people who recite like parrots words such as For the wrong reasons fascism and McCarthyism. […] "Galant must not become the ' With or without Barak, we better see the emergence next chief of staff. Indeed, he might not become of a good political alternative here. Otherwise, we chief of staff, but for the wrong reasons. The Galant shall be left with a radical leftist camp and only affair only proves the eclipse that has darkened memories of election dilemmas and democracy." Israeli society, which is upset by (relatively) small Yoaz Hendel, JED 21.01.11 matters and ignores the truly serious ones. A few dozen dunams of rocky soil trouble it much more Last Chance than hundreds of people killed for nothing. […] The "Israeli politics will reap real benefit from Ehud monstrous dimensions of the commander's palace Barak’s abandonment of Labor for only if it is produce a greater scandal than the monstrous exploited for a genuine shake-up of the system. […] destruction sown by that commander. […] The Israel has become the only Western country besides commander of Operation Cast Lead was never the United States that does not have a significant worthy of being chief of staff because of senseless social democratic party. […] Therefore, social killings and destruction, suspicions of war crimes, democracy in Israel has to be invented from scratch. and the twisted doctrine of no casualties at any It must be based on three principles: nurturing cost." genuine liberal democracy […],striving for social Gideon Levy, HAA 23.01.10 justice […]; and an end to the war based on recognition of the finality of the situation in place at HAA = the conclusion of the War of Independence. JED = Jedioth Ahronoth In a party of this kind, supporters and opponents of JPO = Jerusalem Post the settlements will not be able to dwell together. GLO = Nor will people who favor a totally deregulated economy be able to dwell together with those Veröffentlicht im: Februar 2011 convinced that such a system is a recipe for Verantwortlich: disaster, or people who believe human rights must be stringently upheld with those who believe that Dr. Ralf Hexel, Jews constitute an ethnic community with superior Leiter der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Israel rights." Redaktion: Zeev Sternhell, HAA 28.01.11 Maike Harel

Anita Haviv Über die Kontroverse um den designierten

Generalstabschef Yoav Galant, dem vorgeworfen Homepage: www.fes.org.il wird sich staatliches Land für sein Grundstück Email: [email protected] angeeignet zu haben:

Give Galant a break "We should hope for Yoav Galant’s sake that he will not lose the appointment for IDF chief of staff because of construction deviations. […] 6