Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 18/13 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 05. – 18. November 2013 1. Freispruch für Avigdor Lieberman The greatest threat to Israeli democracy "From the outset, legal experts raised doubts about Nachdem Avigdor Lieberman, Parteivorsitzender whether Liberman’s alleged actions were even a von Israel Beitenu, am 6. November vor Gericht von criminal offense. Liberman’s acquittal puts 17 years dem Vorwurf des Betrugs und des Vertrauensbruchs of defamatory leaks by state prosecutors in stark, freigesprochen worden war, wurde er einige Tage frightening perspective. It was a legal witch-hunt. später erneut als Außenminister vereidigt. Er hatte […] dieses Amt im Dezember 2012 aufgrund der Ankla- The legal fraternity’s use of selective prosecution of geerhebung niedergelegt. political and other national leaders has brought Lieberman war vorgeworfen worden, einen Diploma- about a situation where people the legal fraternity ten befördert zu haben, der ihm Informationen über consider threats to their unchecked powers find Korruptionsermittlungen gegen ihn zugespielt hatte. themselves under a cloud of criminal suspicion, and In ihrem Urteil werteten die Richter, Lieberman habe often removed from office and in the dock." "unangemessen, aber nicht illegal" gehandelt. Caroline Glick, JPO 07.11.13 In den israelischen Medien wurde der Oberstaats- anwalt Yehuda Weinstein kritisiert. Er habe Anklage Lieberman 1, Israel 0 in einem Fall erhoben, der nicht zu gewinnen gewe- "Both the decision to drop the charges in the far sen sei, jedoch schwerwiegendere Korruptions- more serious case and to pursue the much lesser vorwürfe fallengelassen. Gegen Liebermann war case empowered Lieberman and the values he seit Jahren ermittelt worden. represents, while diminishing the legal system and the values it is meant to represent. […] Weinstein go home During the period when Menachem Mazuz was "Never, it seems, has an attorney general received attorney general and David Cohen was police com- such a well-prepared case, of such supreme im- missioner, there was a powerful struggle launched portance, one that could set new public norms and against public sector corruption and organized serve as a clear warning to every public figure. But it crime. […] By contrast, under Weinstein and Police appears that prosecutors, unnerved by the mountain Commissioner Yohanan Danino, the rule of law has of documents and other evidence, decided to turn it turned listless. It doesn’t dare confront those with into a molehill rather than exploring and conquering real power or the true centers of power. […] it. […] The attorney general’s disgraceful failure in the Do we know more now about the convoluted shell Lieberman case casts a huge pall over Israeli de- companies, the hidden accounts, the mysterious mocracy. Today we know that Israel has no serious consulting fees and what befell the witnesses – who system of laws, norms, or values." died, committed suicide or lost their memory? […] Ari Shavit, HAA 07.11.13 If that is the outcome of long, futile years of investi- gatory efforts and obstruction, then the attorney When a minister becomes sinister general has no choice but to resign." "The old-new foreign minister must have a-lot of HAA 07.11.13 Editorial chutzpah pretending nothing happened. […] The judges said it was not their job to punish public officials for shirking their duties and violating basic 1 norms unless they clearly break the law. The court's ly, like he did during his previous term as foreign job was to apply a narrow interpretation of the law minister. […] because the presumption of innocence trumped the It was interesting to see top Likud minister's wel- likelihood of guilt; but it is up to society to enforce its coming Lieberman's acquittal on Wednesday. The ethical code of conduct. acquittal was a fatal blow to their plans to run for Unfortunately, though, in Israel, if a state court says leadership of the right-wing camp after Netanyahu your conduct as a public official was faulty and leaves politics. The moment after blessing Lieber- doubts your fitness for office, what do you do? De- man, these well-wishers probably began working clare victory and get your old job back as if this was diligently to defeat him." some minor misunderstanding. […] Mati Tuchfeld, IHY 07.11.13 The Knesset should approve a law mandating that a public servant who was on trial must go through a The next prime minister vetting process upon returning to high office." "Israel deserves Lieberman as prime minister, and Erez Linn, IHY 15.11.13 he deserves to lead its government. […] His acquit- tal demonstrates the corruption running rampant in The organized loathing of Yvett Israeli society, where an elected official can make "This time, left-wingers direct their sneers at Attor- millions through his daughter and chauffeur, avoid ney-General Yehuda Weinstein. […] being put on trial, and not even have to forfeit his Nowhere is there a shadow of acknowledgement political career. A society that accepts Lieberman, that the only impetus for the prosecution to pursue acquitted or not, is a corrupt society." the so-called minor case was fear of a leftist back- Gideon Levy, HAA 07.11.13 lash. Abandoning the full set of increasingly dubious charges against Liberman was sure to unleash a Because he's different merciless onslaught by the remorseless and vindic- "The real story of the Lieberman affair is the story of tive Left-dominated press. […] the premise we had here, that Lieberman is a so- The victim wasn’t just Liberman individually but our phisticated criminal, a Russian mobster, a blood- entire society. Our shared agenda was hijacked and thirsty racist. […] held hostage by self-appointed guardians of our Is there a person who deserves this iniquity? Is collective conscience who openly bayed for the there an honest person who can say now that the blood of a political rival." investigation Lieberman went through does not Sarah Honig, JPO 14.11.13 border on persecution? […] Lieberman emerged innocent […], but the law en- The Liberman lesson forcement system emerged guilty of one of the most "The public’s trust in our state prosecution system serious, prolonged and cruel delays of justice this has been seriously undermined. Dragging out a State has ever seen. […] case for so long is itself a transgression. […] And together with the legal system, we should re- When the suspect whose case is delayed for so long member that all of us are largely to blame for our happens to be a public figure and political leader, inability to accept the other." the damage caused is not just to the individual but to Hanoch Daum, JED 07.11.13 the wider public. Voters had a right to a speedy legal process so that Liberman’s innocence, or guilt, could 2. Verhandlungen um das iranische be determined and an educated decision could be Atomprogramm made on whether to vote for him." JPO 07.11.13 Editorial Anfang November ist Bewegung in die Verhandlun- gen um das iranische Atomprogramm gekommen. Quiet in the coalition, for now Da hochrangige Vertreter der beteiligten Staaten, "Lieberman will once again become foreign minister. darunter US-Außenminister John Kerry und sein […] And already for quite some time, he has not iranischer Amtskollege, an den Unterredungen teil- hidden his true goal: to become the leader of the nahmen, schien ein Abkommen in greifbare Nähe zu Right. […] rücken. Letztlich kam es in dieser Verhandlungsrun- Lieberman needs time to re-establish himself. […] de jedoch nicht so weit. Laut westlichen Diplomaten His immediate interest is to return to a key leader- hatte der Iran nicht genügend konkrete Zusicherun- ship position […] and act responsibly and moderate- gen gegeben. Medienberichten zufolge hatte Frank- 2 reich außerdem auf strengeren Auflagen als die Iran's nuclear sites. Third, Iran must stop enriching anderen Länder bestanden, unter anderem auf uranium to 20 percent […]. And fourth, Iran must einem Baustopp des Arak-Reaktors. stop building the reactor in Arak. […] Der israelische Premierminister Benjamin Netanya- The Iranians have no choice but to capitulate be- hu betrieb indes weiter Lobbyarbeit gegen ein Ab- cause they so badly want a deal." kommen, das keinen vollständigen Stopp der Uran- Boaz Bismuth, IHY 18.11.13 anreicherung vorsieht. Bei einem Treffen mit Kerry sagte er sogar, Israel würde sich einem solchen Time to squeeze Iran Abkommen nicht verpflichtet fühlen. Einen Kompro- "To truly freeze its nuclear program, Iran would have miss hielte er für einen "historischen Fehler". Neta- to not only halt construction of the heavy-water nyahus Bemühungen stießen in den USA auf nur plutonium production reactor and stop installing new wenig Verständnis und führten zu erheblichen centrifuges, but it would also have to cease all ura- Spannungen zwischen den beiden Staaten. nium enrichment activities, which is something that it has refused to do. Under any deal that permits Iran First we'll take Washington to continue enriching materials for nuclear weapons "Israel […] was correct in presenting the Iranian while negotiations continue, Iran's nuclear program threat as a threat against the whole world and not would not really be frozen. […] just against Israel. If it had not been for the rhetoric If Iran is already today refusing to dismantle its cen- of violence and the threat of an attack on Iran, it’s trifuges and plutonium reactor or halt its enrichment possible the sanctions that were imposed on Tehran activities, why would it agree to do so after the pres- would have stalled rather than reached their current sure on it is eased? […] level. […] This is, in fact, just the time to squeeze Iran. If the Netanyahu’s success made him believe he could P5+1 nations do this, it would lead to an agreement continue dictating the international approach, decide that would peacefully put a final end to Iran's nuclear the nature of the sanctions on Iran, and even force program.