Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 11/10 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 02. – 14. Juni 2010 1. Die Blockade des Gazastreifens Die gewaltsame Übernahme des mit Hilfsgütern für die Bevölkerung des Gazastreifens ausgestatteten Schiffskonvois durch die israelische Armee ist international auf scharfe Kritik gestoßen. Sowohl in den USA als auch in Europa riefen Politiker dazu auf die Abriegelung des Gaza-Streifens aufzuheben bzw. zu lockern. Seit der Entführung des israelischen Soldaten Gilad Shalit schränkt Israel die Ein- und Ausfuhr von Waren in den Gazastreifen ein. Nach der Machtübernahme der Hamas im Jahre 2007 wurden die Maßnahmen von israelischer Seite weiter verschärft. Während Israel die Blockade zur Eindämmung von Waffenschmuggel als notwendig bezeichnet, werden im Ausland insbesondere die negativen Konsequenzen für die Zivilbevölkerung kritisiert. Die israelische Regierung kündigte lediglich eine Lockerung der Blockade an, zugleich werden in den israelischen Medien die Vor- und Nachteile einer Aufhebung sowie alternative Möglichkeiten im Umgang mit der Hamas diskutiert. It’s time for real disengagement “The‘flotilla affair’ offers a good opportunity to complete the disengagement from the Gaza Strip […]. It's time to sever the last ties of the occupation and leave Hamastan to its own devices.[…] Israel would inform the international community that it is abandoning all responsibility for Gaza residents and their welfare. The Israel-Gaza border would be completely sealed, and Gaza would have to obtain supplies and medical services via the Egyptian border, or by sea.[…] This isn't pleasant, but it is legal. A sovereign state has the right to close its border.[…] Instead of arguing with the international community, it should tell it: You want Gaza? Fine. Take it.” Aluf Benn, HAA 02.06.10 A shared strategy “Hamas rules Gaza with a heavy hand, brutally suppressing its political rivals and gradually imposing harsh Islamic religious law.[…] For Israel, Gaza is an Iranian missile base situated three kilometers from the nearest Israeli town and 60 km. from Tel Aviv[…]. But Israel and Gaza cannot be separated. Five functional sectors link them: commerce, energy, water, environment and health.[…] Hence Israel cannot declare that what happens in Gaza no longer interests it.[…] The solution Gaza needs will only arrive when Hamas rule ends. That can only happen by means of a joint strategy coordinated among Egypt, Israel and the PA.[…] Gaza must return to legitimate Palestinian rule and cease serving Iran’s strategic interests.” Ephraim Sneh, JPO 09.06.10 Israel’s policy has strengthened Hamas “Since the unilateral Israeli decision to[…] impose a full economic siege on Gaza, more than 1,000 tunnels have been operating. The direct result has been the empowering of Hamas and the filling of its coffers. Through the control of the underground economy, Hamas has remained in full control over the territory.[…] The only group not hurt by the siege is Hamas and its supporters.[…] Israel’s policy has empowered Hamas and has weakened the working class.[…] Hamas is stronger and richer and Israel is isolated and condemned by the international community.” Gershon Baskin, JPO 07.06.10 Lift needless Gaza siege “Israel must lift the Gaza blockade, which is motivated by vengeance alone.[…] Israel is acting foolishly and wickedly. To use a slang term, the blockade aims to‘screw them over.’ Screw a million and a half people, most of them innocent, in one of the poorest and most crowded places in the world. […] If we continue on the same path, we will create, 1

with our own hands, a world that endorses Hamas, possibly against all logic.” Ran Cohen, JED 08.06.10 Our survival is at stake “In order to ensure our survival, we must not lift the blockade imposed on one of the most radical entities – Hamas; any other way, given the weapons that will come into the Strip, Israel will face existential danger.[…] Hamas is one of the most radical and unrestrained entities out there. After all, we left Gaza, and its residents could have selected a different path. As long as it’s the path of war, they shall get war. Now, we must prove that we possess endurance. We already possess the existential justification to continue the blockade as long as it’s needed.” Effie Eitam, JED 08.06.10 How to end the blockade “The real solution to the blockade, however, is in the hands of Gaza’s people. Israel has made it clear that the siege would be lifted as soon as the political leadership in Gaza agreed to recognize the existence of the Jewish state, abandoned violence, released Schalit and adhered to past agreements.” JPO 04.06.10 Editorial New approach to Gaza “Since the Hamas victory in the 2006 elections, and more so since it took over Gaza in 2007, Israel’s policy insists on shunning the group. We argue that its rule is illegitimate, we’re angry at anyone who talks to it, and we confront anyone who suggests a different approach. Yet is this necessarily the proper policy?[…] De facto, Gaza is a state in every way and is regrettably ruled by bad people who reject any diplomatic agreement with Israel. Yet this does not mean we cannot regularize our neighborly relations with them.[…] The fight to prevent others from talking to it is childish. The way to press Hamas on various fronts[…] is to talk to it, not to boycott it.” Giora Eiland, JED 03.06.10 Not by cement alone “Unknowingly, this flotilla, like its predecessors and the ones still to come, serves the Israeli goal, which is to complete the process of separating the Gaza Strip from the West Bank.[…] Those who are shocked have become partners in the pressure campaign- supported, if not instigated by Hamas- against Egypt to unilaterally open the Rafah crossing, as if it is the occupier and not Israel. And what serves the goal of separating Gaza from the West Bank better than forgetting the sealed the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel, and focusing on Rafah and cement? Unintentionally, the runners of the maritime and media blockade focused attention on aspects that do not undermine the essence of Israel's closure of Gaza. And that essence is denying the right and thwarting the will of Gazans to be an active, permanent and natural part of Palestinian society.” Amira Hass, HAA 09.06.10 2. Die Beziehungen zur Türkei Spätestens seit dem Krieg im Gazastreifen werden die bilateralen Beziehungen zwischen Israel und der Türkei auf eine harte Probe gestellt. Der Tod von neun türkischen Aktivisten, die an Bord der Mavi Marmara von der israelischen Armee getötet wurden, führt die Beziehungen nun in ihre bisher tiefste Krise – und stellt ihre Zukunft in Frage. Premierminister Recep Tayyip Erdogan bezeichnete das israelische Vorgehen als„Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit“ und verlangte Sanktionen sowie eine internationale Untersuchung. Bereits am Tag des Vorfalls hatte die Türkei ihren Botschafter aus Israel abgezogen. Vize-Premierminister Bulentrinc gab an, die Türkei werde die Wirtschafts- und Sicherheitskooperation auf ein Minimum beschränken. Indes kehrten israelische Touristen in Scharen aus dem beliebten Urlaubsland zurück. Die israelische Regierung hat sich mit Kommentaren bisher jedoch zurückgehalten. Turkey is not an enemy “Erdogan’s criticism of Israel is not different in substance than the criticism by other friends of Israel in Europe and the United States. But his style is more blatant and direct.[…] Israel, which is now struggling to save its good name, considers public relations the sole means for achieving its goals. But without wise policy, public relations will prove empty of substance. The first step is to rehabilitate relations with Turkey, especially with its prime minister. For this, political courage is necessary, which will lift the blockade on Gaza Strip and bring Turkey closer to the region’s political process.” HAA 04.06.10 Editorial 2

Don’t trim Turkey now “Like a great ship heading straight for an iceberg, we're watching the deterioration of our relations with Turkey.[…][But this] must not be a preview of the complete severing of economic ties between the Israeli and Turkish markets. Turkey has a population of 80 million, and an improving standard of living. Its importance to the Israeli market is not just in domestic Turkish consumption, but as a bridge to Arab countries. Israeli technology reaches countries that do not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel via Turkey. […] Economic relations, if destroyed now, will not be rebuilt so quickly. This is the time, now, for aggressive and smart marketing intended to show that we won't easily forego the strategic economic ties we work so hard to achieve.” Haime Alloche, GLO 02.06.10 What a missed opportunity “Since Erdogan is striving for pan-Islamism and Netanyahu is trying to hold off the rest of the world while nurturing a Jewish Israeliness that hates minorities and foreigners, the clash was inevitable. The flotilla crisis exposed the prejudices and stereotypes that had been kept hidden during the years of friendship: anti-Semitic stereotypes in Turkey and Israeli disdain for Muslims and their culture.[…] But we cannot lay the blame solely at the feet of the Israeli and Turkish leaders and ruling parties. We, the secular, Western-oriented Israelis, have not really tried to move closer to our Turkish counterparts.[…] We have not built a network of interpersonal relationships that could survive political upheaval, nor have we nurtured mutual curiosity. That is sad, now more than ever.” Aluf Benn, HAA 09.06.10 A turning point for Turkey “Relations between Israel and Turkey are at a new low and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is doing a great deal to exacerbate the situation.[…] So far, the Turkish premier has refrained from breaking off diplomatic ties with Israel. But[…] the future of relations with Turkey, once Israel’s closest friend in the Middle East, is uncertain. The deterioration of Turkey’s relations with Israel dates back to its decision to support Hamas’s violent takeover of Gaza in 2007. But it is part of a broader trend in which Erdogan has been gradually steering his country away from a secular-based democracy toward radical Islam.[…] Turkey[…] appears to be moving out of the orbit of western democracies and into a deepening alliance with an newly forming axis of power composed of countries such as Russia, Iran, and Brazil.[…] Turkey’s leadership has a choice. It can continue on its present path. Or, however improbably and belatedly, it can yet change direction. If it chose to, Turkey could have a highly constructive role in forging a better Middle East. As a successful Islamic democracy aligned with the West, it could be a powerful force for regional peace and a uniquely valuable partner for the US. In the process, it would be improving its own global stature while helping to stabilize the world’s most volatile region.” JPO 01.06.10 Editorial Islamist Turkey overreaches “Turks have been at the forefront of developing what I call Islamism 2.0 – the popular, legitimate and nonviolent version of what Ayatollah Khomeini and Osama bin Laden tried to achieve forcefully via Islamism 1.0. I have predicted that Erdogan’s insidious form of Islamism‘may threaten civilized life even more than does 1.0’s brutality.’[…] [Now] Erdogan has gratuitously discarded his carefully crafted image of a pro-Western‘Muslim democrat,’ making it far easier to treat him as the Teheran-Damascus ally that he is.[…] Turkey has returned to the center of the Middle East and the umma. But it no longer deserves full NATO membership and its opposition parties deserve support.” Daniel Pipes, JPO 08.06.10 Lose-lose for Turkey and Israel “Israel has lost its second most important ally, a rare friend in a hostile region and with this a major part of its security.[…] Turkey has lost what makes it special: its ability to be Muslim and Western at the same time, a uniquely Turkish characteristic.[…] What made Turkey special was the country’s unique Western overlay in domestic and foreign policy.[…] If Turkey is to continue to be unique, this view has to drive its policy. For now, the effective end of Turkish-Israeli ties is more than just an issue of bilateral relations between these two important states. This is also the end of at least a bit of Turkey as we have come to know it.” Soner Cagaptay, JPO 04.06.10 3

UN must investigate Turkey “The so-called‘peace flotilla’ episode raises many questions, and most of them have to do with the role of Turkey.[…] Nobody knows exactly what went on in Turkey – how the operation was planned and what part the Turkish government played in its implementation.[…] IHH, a militant Turkish organization, announced its intention[…] to send several vessels carrying ‘humanitarian supplies’ to breach the blockade and embarrass Israel. Israel immediately contacted the Turkish government[…]. Turkey refused to act.[…] IHH is an extremist Islamist organization created in 1992; according to the CIA it is a terrorist organization with links to al-Qaeda and to Hamas. […] The international commission of inquiry will therefore have to investigate why Turkey let the organization operate openly on its soil and why it did not arrest its leaders.[…] It will have to clarify what Turkey did to assist IHH in planning and carrying out the operation in recent months.” Zvi Mazel, JED 05.06.10 3. Medien, PR und der Gaza-Konvoi Wie nach anderen Vorfällen, die internationale Schlagzeilen machten, wurde auch im Anschluss der folgenschweren Konfrontation Israels mit dem Gaza-Hilfskonvoi Kritik an der PR der israelischen Regierung laut. Wiederholt wurde innerhalb Israels beklagt, die Regierung habe zu lange mit Presseerklärungen und der Veröffentlichung von Bildern gewartet. Ausländischen Medien werden in Israel größtenteils als voreingenommen bzw. Israelfeindlich wahrgenommen. Gleichzeitig wird immer öfter daraufhin hingewiesen, dass die Medien ein neues wichtiges Schlachtfeld seien – und Israel seine Strategien dementsprechend ändern müsse. Massacring the truth “On Monday, Gaza flotilla‘activists’ used brutal violence masquerading as peace. Nonetheless, a disturbingly massive portion of the world has dubbed the events a‘massacre’ and an IDF atrocity.[…] The Gaza-bound flotilla flagrantly lied and disgraced the‘peace’ that many in the Middle East are wholeheartedly yearning for. The proof is on video, for all to see and hear. The real issue at hand is the refusal of the global media, among others, to grasp and reflect the reality in this region of the world.[…] Unfortunately, global reaction highlights the deluded approach that much of the world takes at this time when it comes to our region. Yet the only massacre that occurred Monday was the brutal massacre of the truth. So long as so-called peaceniks wage war on peace and on the truth, and as long as the world buys into it, peace will remain unattainable.” Cori Chascione, JED 01.06.10 It is not the PR, stupid “Having failed to defeat us by force, our remaining enemies have shifted their efforts to trying to weaken the world's support for the justice of our cause and to delegitimize our very existence.[…] Regrettably, they are achieving substantial success. And we play right into their hands. Again and again, we make our few friends left sick of us, and over and over we push the skeptics and neutrals into the arms of our inveterate hate-driven foes.[…] We fail to take advantage of our opportunities to expound on our positive credo to the world, or to fulfill it.[…] There is an abundance of hypocrisy and shortsightedness in the world, and our enemies exploit it at every opportunity.[…] The reserves of tolerance toward us are running out at a terrifying rate.[…] This is not a PR problem of how to explain ourselves. This is first and foremost the outcome of a muddleheaded and shortsighted policy, guided by neither a moral compass nor long-range selfinterest.” Ariel Levite, HAA 08.06.10 Our PR amateurs “We missed out the opportunity to explain our side of the story because amateurs don’t understand that there’s nothing more important on television than the timing, and in the first six hours(six hours! Good heavens!) no official State of Israel representative appeared on screen.[…] Because as always[…] we were caught by surprise again. Why? This is precisely the difference between professionals and amateurs. Professionals prepare in advance, while amateurs don’t understand how it happened to them.” Yair Lapid, JED 04.06.10 Blundering in harm’s way “Members of[the] government were busy pointing fingers at each other for the PR disaster, while Hamas leaders in Gaza and their backers in Turkey and Iran were celebrating the propaganda triumph. […] Even friends are questioning the government’s 4

judgment – if not outright condemning it – without bothering to wait for the facts.[…] The HamasTurkish flotilla was not on a humanitarian mission. It was a PR mission, and it was a great success.[…] The Netanyahu government, instead of ignoring the ships(as has been done in the past) decided instead to escalate this into a major confrontation it could only lose when portrayed as the regional superpower facing a bunch of political activists delivering humanitarian supplies. Security cannot be a blanket excuse for everything Israel does. Was there a real threat to Israeli security? Where’s the evidence?[…] The damage to Israel’s international standing should be of greater concern to its leaders and friends.” D. Bloomfield, JPO 03.06.10 The truth that cannot be seen “If the media is the battlefield, the soldiers are the photographers and reporters.[…] It was Al Jazeera that broadcast the first pictures from the Mavi Marmara at the critical moments of the takeover, and set the facts.[…] The chronological order of the broadcast, first of all the Al Jazeera footage of the injured and dead and only afterward the pictures from the IDF Spokesman, is what set the global narrative: The violence of the soldiers was first.[…] The people with the authority to decide what will be documented and broadcast to the people do not want a free press. The populist image of the leftist and Israel-hating media has sunk in everywhere.” Alex Levac, HAA 14.06.10 Shut down al-Jazeera “The Gaza-bound flotilla was eventually stopped, yet the al-Jazeera warship continues to sail as usual. The network’s photos from the battle scene at sea again made it first to satellite dishes worldwide. As usual, the images were accompanied by a soundtrack of lies, incitement, and hatred for Israel. […] Kick al-Jazeera out of Israel. Shut down their offices here tomorrow morning and confiscate their equipment.[…] The attorney general[…] may even designate the network as a terrorist organization. After all, al-Jazeera assists Hamas to a much greater extent than all the organization’s television and radio stations combined.[…] As far as it applies to Israel, al-Jazeera is not a media outlet; rather, it is a hornets’ nest. How long will we wait before we dispatch a police team over there with a closure order?” Hagai Segal, JED 07.06.10 What will the nations think? “Various pundits and commentators took to the airwaves and the opinion pages, wringing their hands and wracking their brains as they tried to figure out just how we can maybe, possibly, hopefully, get the world to like us again.[…] This chorus of characters[…] sought to convince the public that our overriding policy consideration must be what others might say about us.[…] To be sure, the manner in which Israel and its actions are perceived around the globe must be considered in the formulation of government policy. […] We live in the information age, where image and appearance are critical and must be borne in mind as part of any governmental initiative. But there is a world of difference between taking the international community’s reaction into account and allowing it to dictate Israel’s policies.[…] We must continue to make Israel’s case with vigor and resolve and cultivate the friendship and understanding of the American people and others. We can and should care about what others may think of us, but at the end of the day we must do what is necessary to ensure our security. If these two goals ever clash, there should be no question as to what takes precedence.” Michael Freud, JPO 09.06.10 4. Medienquerschnitt Die Vielfalt der in Israel relevanten Themen kann in einem Medienspiegel nicht umfassend wiedergegeben werden. Um den deutschen LeserInnen dennoch einen Einblick in das breite Themenspektrum, das in den Medien behandelt wird, zu gewähren, veröffentlichen wir in dieser Schlaglichtausgabe wieder eine kleine Auswahl an weiteren Themen, die in den vergangenen zwei Wochen die israelische Gesellschaft bewegten. Über die neuen, im UN-Sicherheitsrat beschlossenen Sanktionen gegen den Iran: Don’t belittle the sanctions “We should not belittle the American achievement manifested through the Security Council’s decision to impose further sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program.[…] The US managed to pass the resolution almost unanimously, and more importantly, elicit the support of both Russia and China.[…] Here in Israel there is a tendency to belittle, at least publically, the effect of the sanctions on Iran.[…] 5

The sanctions imposed on Iran thus far, and the new moves imposed Wednesday, have a significant tactical effect on Iran’s defense establishment, military industries, intelligence community, and nuclear program. These sanctions focus directly on these elements. They attempt to undermine Iran’s ability to purchase equipment aboard, including raw materials, technological systems, and weapons.” Ronen Bergmann, JED 10.06.10 Too little, very late “The package approved by the UN Security Council does not remotely constitute the crippling sanctions which might just have exerted a sobering effect on Teheran as it proceeds toward a nuclear weapons capability.[…] They were watered down[…] to enlist the support of reluctant powers like Russia and China.[…] A parody of sanctions[…] makes a laughingstock of the international community. The best hope now is that the US and EU will quickly impose tougher sanctions of their own.[…] In some ways, they may even exacerbate Israel’s predicament. They will lend the appearance of an international mobilization to curb Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions, but in actuality will achieve nothing – the worst of all worlds.” JPO 10.06.10 Editorial Über die renommierte amerikanische Journalistin Helen Thomas und ihre Äußerung, dass die Juden aus„Palästina verschwinden“ und nach „Deutschland und Polen heimkehren“ sollen: Open season on the Jewish state “Helen Thomas’s stomach-turning comments about the Jews returning to Germany and Poland, where six million were killed, are striking for their racism and insensitivity.[…] She has no business working for any respectable media organization or sitting as the senior White House correspondent directly in front of the president of the United States.[…] It will be interesting to see how President Obama[…] will react. One can only imagine the uproar against Thomas had she said that all blacks should go home to Africa[…]. It seems that Jews are the only group that you can attack with impunity, because they are the only ones unwise enough to tolerate it.” Smuley Boteach, JPO 07.06.10 We’re not going anywhere “We were in Germany and[…] Poland because we were told to get the hell out of England, France, and Spain.[…] And you know why we were in Western Europe to begin with? Because we were told by the Greeks and the Romans – wait for it – to get the hell out of‘Palestine’.[…] In any event, there is no way around it: Jews being asked(usually not by old ladies on the White House lawn) to get the hell out of anywhere and everywhere is just the way it goes.[…] But now, alas, there is nowhere left for us to go, except the eternal place Ahmadinejad wants us to go, and Haniyeh and Nasrallah, and Hitler before them and Khmelnitsky before him, and Haman before him, and so on. And, I suspect, in her heart of hearts, perhaps Thomas and the likes of her[…]. So here’s the thing: We are not going anywhere this time, Helen.” Sara K. Eisen, JED 09.06.10 HAA= Haaretz HZO= Ha Tzofe IHY= Israeli HaYom JED= Jedioth Ahronoth JPO= Jerusalem Post MAA= Maariv GLO= Globes Veröffentlicht im: Juni 2010 Verantwortlich: Dr. Ralf Hexel, Leiter der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Israel Redaktion: Maike Harel Niko Pewesin Homepage: www.fes.org.il Email: fes@fes.org.il 6