Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 19/10 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 13.-25. Oktober 2010 1. Gedenktag für Yitzhak Rabin In diesem November jährt sich der Todestag von Premierminister Yitzhak Rabin zum 15. Mal. In Israel beginnen die Gedenkveranstaltungen am hebräischen Datum seiner Ermordung, dieses Jahr der 20. Oktober. Im Rahmen der Gedenkfeiern wird auf dem Rabin-Platz in Tel Aviv, wo der Premierminister am 4.11.95 erschossen wurde, eine Kundgebung abgehalten. Nun kündigten die Veranstalter jedoch an, die Feier ab nächstem Jahr an einem anderen Ort und in kleinerem Rahmen abhalten zu wollen. Der Jahrestag der Rabin-Ermordung ist in Israel jedes Jahr Anlass zu Auseinandersetzungen zwischen den verschiedenen politischen Lagern. Während sich die israelische Linke auf das Friedens-Vermächtnis Rabins beruft, fühlt sich die Rechte der Mittäterschaft bezichtigt und kritisiert eine angebliche Verzerrung der politischen Botschaft Rabins. Selbst aus den Reihen der Arbeitspartei, der Rabin angehörte, kam Kritik an den Gedenkfeiern. Die Knessetabgeordnete Einat Wilf rief dazu auf, die Kundgebung abzuschaffen und Rabins Porträt aus dem Sitzungsraum der Arbeitspartei zu entfernen. Das Gedenken an Rabin halte die Verzweiflung aufrecht, statt die Partei wieder mit Enthusiasmus zu erfüllen. Ein Großteil von Wilfs Kollegen kritisierte ihren Vorschlag jedoch scharf. Rifts after Rabin “This week, the country marks the 15th anniversary of the Hebrew date of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. Always an occasion for Left to bash Right, or secular to knock religious, this year it seems worse than ever.[…] There are those on the Left openly calling for the rally in Rabin’s memory to be turned into a political event(doing away with any pretense that it was open to all).[…] Banning someone with different political views from attending a memorial for a slain prime minister does not seem to me the best way to foster democratic values. Liberal sentiments often disappear with the memory of the trauma of burying Rabin and the recollection of the grinning face in court of his murderer, Yigal Amir.[…] But if Amir succeeds in making half the country thrive on vengeance, he will have achieved his aim: using a bullet to deflect democracy.” Liat Collins, JOP 16.10.10 Leftist march of folly “Truth be told, Rabin himself started to sober up and show reservations over the Oslo way towards the end of his life, understanding the kind of trap he was leading and was led into.[…] Against this backdrop, it is easy to understand the ongoing decline in the number of participants in events held to mark a nonexistent legacy. Rabin was not a man of letters and did not leave a moral mark. The‘Rabin Legacy’ slogan was invented in retrospect[…] in order to appropriate the man’s name and tragic death for the purpose of promoting his erroneous way.[…] In this context, it is also important to disprove the ridiculous declaration that the murderer’s bullets killed democracy as well. The murder deserves every condemnation, yet the damage to democracy had to do with the dubious political moves utilized by Rabin to secure the Oslo agreement’s approval, as well as the means used by Sharon in order to approve the ethnic, racist cleansing of Jews from homes in their own country, as the fascistic Left cheered on.” Ron Breimann, JED 22.10.10 Rembering Rabin’s legacy “It is this heartbreaking lack of progress towards peace that makes it so important that we examine Yitzhak Rabin's legacy today. Rabin saw the path to peace with great clarity.[…] Rabin knew too that keeping the Palestinians in a state of poverty and misery and denying them 1

control of their own affairs, could only result in more violence, and more radicalization.[…] What Rabin and his brave partner Shimon Peres understood almost 20 years ago, many others have since come to understand.[…] As we mark the passing of 15 years since that terrible day, the best way my country and I can honor Rabin's memory is to pledge that we will stand beside Israel as it walks down the difficult path to peace.” Matthew Gould, JED 22.10.10 Rabin Square is empty “Rabin Square is not empty because of public apathy. The public simply no longer wants to listen (at an‘official’ rally, organized by state and municipal funding) to incitement from performers, politicians, writers and‘intellectuals.’ It is sick and tired of the glorification of the Oslo Accords, which are covered in the blood of thousands of Jews and Arabs.[…] If the public's belief in peace has flagged, this is mainly the fault of the architects of Oslo[…]; of those who cling to Rabin and his‘legacy’ to renounce personal responsibility for the most catastrophic error in the history of the state.[…] The public woke up. It sensed that the rallies were being manipulated for the purposes of incitement and political propaganda. That- and not the (nonexistent) shift to the right- is the reason for the growing trivialization of the country's worst socialmoral-political disaster.” Israel Harel, HAA 21.10.10 The Rabin memorial and its significance “Rabin Square has indeed been virtually empty of protest activity in recent years, providing no clearer sign of the public apathy that has taken over Israel. […] This bodes ill for Israeli democracy and the involvement of civil society- and for that very reason, the organizers of the Rabin memorial ceremonies have an obligation to make every effort to continue them. Over the years, the memorial assembly has turned not only into a demonstration of solidarity with the slain prime minister, but also a rare event that gathered the remnants of Israel's peace camp together.[…] In fact, the gatherings held in Rabin's honor can and should change their character: organizers must seek to boost participation by the young, for whom Rabin's murder is no more than an episode in ancient Israeli history, and instill in them the lessons of the terrible event that occurred 15 years ago this week.” HAA 20.10.10 Editorial Religious-rightist thoughts “I shall never forget the moment I arrived at the square to show solidarity, cry and mourn, and was driven out of there by‘murderer’ chants – because of the kippah I’ve been wearing ever since I know myself.[…] Being rightist and religious on the Rabin memorial day means being very sorry that we do not have a memorial rally of reconciliation at the square[…]. During such rally, both the Left and Right, religious and secular, would declare that there will never again be a civil war here. Yet it’s also about knowing that such rally will forever remain a pipedream that would never materialize. Being rightist and religious on the Rabin memorial day means that every year, when autumn rolls around, we see the annual leftist festival and fanning of the civil war flames.[…] Being rightist and religious on the Rabin memorial day means wanting to impart the Rabin legacy to the young generation, including his immense contribution to the State of Israel’s security, but without the Oslo legacy, which already proved to be a massive failure.” Yechiel Fleischman, JED 20.10.10 2. Die Zukunft des Friedensprozesses Die direkten Friedensgespräche zwischen Israel und der Palästinensischen Autonomiebehörde, die am 02.09.2010 begonnen hatten, sind derzeit ausgesetzt, da seit dem Ende des Baustopps am 26.09.2010 in den jüdischen Siedlungen im Westjordanland wieder gebaut wird. In den israelischen Medien wird diskutiert, welche Möglichkeiten es noch gibt, den Friedensprozess wieder in Gang zu bringen bzw. welche anderen Perspektiven für den Nahostkonflikt existieren. Während Benjamin Netanyahu von Mahmud Abbas die Anerkennung Israels als„jüdischen Staat“ fordert, um den Baustopp in den Siedlungen für wenige Monate fortzuführen, machte PLO Generalsekretär Yasser Rabbo Schlagzeilen, als er versprach, seine Regierung werde Israel in jeder Form anerkennen, solange Israel eine Karte des zukünftigen Palästinas mit festgelegten Grenzen präsentieren würde. Allerdings scheint es sich bei den meisten Forderungen beider Seiten weniger um 2

ernstgemeinte Ansätze zu neuen Verhandlungen zu handeln, als um Versuche gegenseitiger Diskreditierung. Gleichzeitig gibt es in der palästinensischen Führung ernste Bemühungen, internationale Akteure auf eine Anerkennung Palästinas einzustimmen. Israelische Politiker wehren sich indes vehement gegen die unilaterale Ausrufung eines palästinensischen Staates. Abide by the resolutions “On which legal basis can the sides reach a mutual agreement that will lead to the end of the conflict? The only acceptable way, known to all parties, was and remains abiding by the UN resolutions since 1948, even when it is clear that each side has its own interpretation of them.[…] The first is the mutual recognition of UN Resolution 181 from 1947 that determined two states for two peoples, Jewish and Palestinian, in the Holy Land. This is a key issue in any discussion between the parties, and corresponds with the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative backed quietly by the Arab League earlier this year. […] Israeli policy-makers must understand that the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel is in our national interest, first and foremost to retain the Jewish character of the state. Otherwise, we are marching toward a binational state, whether we like it or not.” Shimon Tamir, JPO 13.10.10 His time is fleeting “Israel's diplomacy has reached a turning point. Instead of dealing with the failed direct talks, from this point Israel will be orchestrating a diplomatic holding action against the Palestinian initiative to have the UN Security Council recognize Palestinian independence within the 1967 borders. Such a decision would deem Israel an invader and occupier, paving the way for measures against Israel.[…] An international declaration that Israel is an occupier and trespasser could spark a new war here and the large amount of blood that would be shed would be on Obama's hands, if he were to allow such a resolution to pass. This could deter the president, but he will ask for a quid pro quo from Israel.” Aluf Benn, HAA 20.10.10 No to a third intifada “The prospect of a breakdown again raises the specter of another intifada, since many Palestinians may conclude that the occupation is either permanent or that diplomacy is simply an ineffective tool in resolving it and that a new uprising is the only remaining way to pressure Israel.[…] But it is essential that Palestinians do not turn to, or allow themselves to be sucked into, another round of violence. A third intifada would undoubtedly follow the pattern[of…] ever-increasing levels of violence, death and religious fanaticism on both sides.[…] For Israel, a third intifada could well signal the squandering of the last opportunity to divest itself of the occupation in a rational, workable manner, rendering what will become the de facto Israeli state as neither Jewish nor democratic in any meaningful sense and developing and entrenching an apartheid character, especially in the occupied territories. It is imperative that some way is found to keep diplomacy alive, even if it means a return to less than- optimal indirect negotiations.” Hussein Ibish, JPO 12.10.10 Peace process is a disgrace “There is no need for further Israeli concessions. The Israeli government can announce that until and unless the PA accepts Israel's legitimacy, there is no basis for ongoing economic assistance, and no further cooperation on infrastructure. PM Netanyahu's policy of unilaterally‘freezing’ Jewish construction led to this impasse. It's time to freeze the system that rewards PA non-compliance and contributes to undermining Israel, at home and the international community. PA de-legitimization of Israel must stop now.” Moshe Dann, JED 17.10.10 Plenty of blame to spread around “The ambitious goal of ending the entire conflict within a year[…] is totally unrealistic, thereby putting undue pressure on the negotiating parties.[…] One wonders whether a more modest objective of defining the borders of a Palestinian state within a year might not have set the process on more stable ground.[…] Netanyahu’s choice of a right-wing coalition is incompatible with his ostensible decision to opt for a two state solution. Here, yet again, we confront the toxic interaction between Israel’s dysfunctional political system and the Palestinian issue. The Palestinian contribution to the current impasse is hardly less significant. Abbas’s internal Palestinian political position is apparently so weak that he elected[…] to yield his decision-making responsibilities regarding negotiations to the Arab League.” Yossi Alpher, JPO 21.10.10 3

Netanyahu’s supreme test “Through all those years, we’d been brainwashed to believe that peace is impossible without the establishment of a Palestinian state.[…] For the past 17 years, the enemy did not back down an inch on its original demands[…]. And what happened around here? The Zionist vision retreated in the face of the two-state‘vision’ – the‘good’ terrorists are being dubbed‘partners,’ while even the‘bad’ terrorists are already provided with all their needs. Even the talk of peace had given way to the giveand-give’s current objective – establishing a state for the enemy. The reciprocity disappeared, as the Arabs build in full force while the freeze abomination is only applied to the Jews.[…] Netanyahu now faces some truly difficult decisions – yet not the ones which the radical Left and the media expect of him. He must sever the false link between the term ‘peace’ and the notion of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River; he must also disconnect from the dangerous slope Israel had been led to since that dark September in 1993.” Ron Breiman, JED 15.10.10 False‘apartheid dilemma’ “It is perfectly legitimate for all Jews in Western Palestine, Judea, Samaria and Gaza included, to vote for an Israeli parliament and for Arabs in Judea, Samaria and Gaza to vote for an Arab parliament. This can be an Arab parliament of an existing Arab state. In particular Jordan's parliament is an appropriate option since Jordan extends on four fifths of Palestine.[…] Arabs in Western Palestine will be able to express their national identity in an Arab parliament, and simultaneously the settlement of Jews in all of Western Palestine could be encouraged so as to fulfill the requirement of international law, and to respond to the security requirement and to the necessity to settle Jews in the cradle of their civilization.[…] Thus, the position that Israel can only be Jewish and democratic in the pre-1967 borders is false.” Yoram Shifftan, JED 18.10.10 Netanyahu: Peace or blame game? “The internationally recognized obstacle to peace is the ongoing Israeli occupation.[…] Netanyahu's strategy is clear: He refuses to engage in serious negotiations[…] on borders, security, Jerusalem and refugees, while he simultaneously peddles his own positions in public.[…] Instead of preparing the Israeli public for peace based on a two-state solution, Netanyahu has been preparing the world for a new blame game. Instead of preparing Israeli society to have an open and shared Jerusalem as the capital of two states, he insists that only Israel will have sovereignty over the whole city.[…] Is the government of Israel engaged in the negotiation process to reach peace, or is Israel engaged in this process to advance a public relations campaign and buy time to continue its colonial enterprise on our occupied territory?” Nabil Sha’ath, HAA 20.10.10 The Rubicon crossers “Two Israeli prime ministers, from different parties, in 2000 and in 2008, offered far-reaching concessions to the leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which rejected their offers.[…] As long as the PLO persists in its extreme positions, as long as it does not renounce the Fatah platform which was updated at the organization's sixth convention in Bethlehem in August 2009 and once again reiterated its permanent aim of‘destroying the Zionist entity and liberating Palestine’- no Israeli government, from either the right or the left, will be able to achieve a peace agreement.” Benny Begin, HAA 15.10.10 3. Ahmadinejad im Libanon Am 13. Oktober landete der iranische Präsident Mahmud Ahmadinejad zu einem zweitägigen Besuch im Libanon. Er wurde von zehntausenden jubelnden Anhängern der schiitischen Miliz Hisbollah, aber auch von Premierminister Saad Hariri, der zum pro-westlichen Lager im Libanon gehört, begrüßt. Während Ahmedinejad seinen Besuch, bei dem er sich auch im Süden des Landes nahe der Grenze Israels aufhielt, nutzte um zur„Zerstörung der Zionisten“ aufzurufen, diente sein Aufenthalt wohl in erster Linie dazu, die Macht des iranischen Regimes über den Zedernstaat zu demonstrieren. Damit machte er sich im Libanon aber nicht nur Freunde. Bisher hatte die Hisbollah, die finanzielle und militärische Hilfe aus dem Iran erhält, den Einfluss des Irans gerne kleingeredet, um sich als patriotische Organisation präsentieren zu können. Auch die Schlussfolgerung des internationalen Tribunals zur Untersuchung der Ermordung des ehemaligen Premierminister Rafiq Hariri, welche die Hisbollah vermutlich verantwortlich finden wird, 4

könnte zu erneuten Spannungen zwischen den proiranischen und anderen Fraktionen im Land führen. Ahmadinejad’s victory tour Ahmadinejad’s visit to Lebanon is no courtesy call. The Iranian president’s provocation sends manifold, highly noteworthy messages to multiple regional and international recipients.[…] He is[…] sending a warning against any Israeli preemptive strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. Ahmadinejad is in Lebanon reminding Israel that he has a formidable proxy – Hizbullah – primed for attack from bases directly adjacent to‘the Zionist entity,’ and that he can deploy this proxy at will.[…] Ahmadinejad is also exclaiming, for all democracies to hear, that his is the regime that effectively calls the shots in Lebanon, in collusion with his Syrian allies.[…] Ahmadinejad’s visit, it is grimly safe to conclude, has illustrated that Lebanon’s anyhow fast-waning independence has been decisively quashed. It is, quite simply, no longer a player in its own right in this part of the world.” JPO 14.10.10 Editorial An excuse named Ahmadinejad “This visit evinced no new threat, no declaration that had not been heard before, no new revolution threatening to destroy Lebanon.[…] Lebanon is still in Syria's sphere of influence, and Damascus has no intention of handing it over to Tehran. That is the’secret of success’ of the IranSyria alliance- an understanding that they will respect the boundaries of each other's sphere of influence. Israel could have had a major role in this mighty power play. The renewal of negotiations with Syria, precisely at the time of Ahmadinejad's visit,[…] would have presented Iran with a serious dilemma regarding its relations with Syria while putting Hezbollah in the awkward situation of its protectorstate negotiating with its worst enemy.” Zvi Bar’el, HAA 17.10.10 His time is fleeting “The visit to Lebanon by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad handed Netanyahu propaganda points. But you don't defeat atomic bombs with propaganda. Israel has adopted a new definition for the point of no return. Instead of talking about an operational nuclear bomb or a‘threshold nation’ that accumulates enriched material and could quickly assemble a bomb, Israel is now warning of a situation in which Iran expands its nuclear infrastructure until its survivability is assured, foiling the possibility of a surgical strike on its installations. Anyone wishing to act against Iran will have to engage in all-out war aimed at toppling the Iranian regime. Israel does not have such capacity and time is running out.” Aluf Benn, HAA 20.10.10 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 Kriminalität in der Stadt Lod , in der in diesem Monat bereits drei arabische Bürger Israels ermordet wurden: Lessons from Lod “Lod’s Arab citizens have described a police force that takes the murders of Arabs by Arabs too lightly. ‘Honor’ killings or casualties as a result of infighting among vying crime families are barely investigated, they claim.[…] Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch has already launched a crackdown in Lod on illegal arms.[…] But more needs to be done to build trust. Police officers should create ties with Arab community leaders. They should familiarize themselves with Arab culture and learn some Arabic.[…] But perhaps the single most important step that can be taken is to actively recruit more Arabs into the police force to work in Arab communities.[…] Arab Israelis are entitled to the same level of security and protection from crime as Jews. They should not be made to feel like second-class citizens.” JPO 12.10.10 Editorial Über Wirtschaftskonzentration und fehlenden Wettbewerb: Perverting public discourse “The facts are clear: An April Bank of Israel study affirmed that a few families control more than half 5

the assets traded in the country, including banks and insurance companies.[…] Little competition results in inefficiency. Workers here produce only two-thirds of what Americans do per capita. The result is low salaries. As the Bank of Israel study indicates, economic concentration also poses a systemic risk to the economy. In the recent crisis, the near bankruptcy of some of the large business groups could have caused a general economic collapse, including of our pension system. In addition, great economic concentration aggravates the already problematic relationship between capital, politics and the media. Our tycoons own most media outlets. This results in a perversion of public discourse that poses a serious challenge to democracy.” Daniel Doron, JPO 17.10.10 Concentrating on concentration “Despite the numerous attempts to claim that the Israeli economy is disproportionately concentrated, including the presentation of incorrect data, someone up there has realized that that is not the case.[…] Israel, in order to continue to thrive, cannot forego economic growth.[…] There is no growth without the private sector.[…] Forced separation between financial and non-financial holdings will only weaken the banks and insurance companies, which will undermine the stability of the entire financial system.[…] Shari Arison is not responsible for Israel's income gaps and inequality, which mainly arise because, among other factors, substantial parts of the Arab and haredi(ultraorthodox) populations do not work.” Adrian Filut, GLO 14.10.10 Über Armut in Israel : The urgent imperative to tackle poverty “Israel’s struggle with rising poverty and income inequality is nothing new.[…] Particularly unsettling is the fact that nearly half of all Israeli Arabs are poor.[…] More needs to be done to provide the Arab population with better and more education. High-school dropout rates, while falling, are still over four times higher[…] among Arab Muslims aged 25 to 34 than among Jews.[…] Haredim are another chronically poor population. About 60% live below the poverty line, due in large part to low employment rates.[…] Now a concerted government effort must be made to fight poverty. It is possible to fight poverty without increasing welfare transfers that discourage people from getting off the dole and into the labor market. Expanding implementation of a negative income tax – which we have advocated in the past – and enforcing wage laws for Israeli as well as foreign workers are just two examples.” JPO 19.10.10 Editorial The way to fight poverty “Twenty-nine percent of Israelis are at risk of poverty […] compared with 16 percent in European Union member states. Some 38 percent of Israeli children are at risk of becoming poor, twice the EU average. […] This shameful state of affairs[…] can be traced to two poor communities that participate little in the workforce: ultra-Orthodox and Arabs.[…] Policy makers have long debated whether poverty must be addressed by augmenting child allowances or encouraging people to work. In the past, as Israeli governments tried the first method, the poverty rate continued to climb. Instead, the only solution is fostering a culture of work. Only a stable livelihood can lift a family out of poverty.[…] To that end, the government must subsidize child day care, transportation to and from work and create a negative income tax.[…] Near Arab communities, industrial zones should be built to facilitate Arab women's entry into the job market. These changes should be implemented as early as next year's budget, or the gap between Israel and Europe will continue to grow.” HAA 19.10.10 HAA= Haaretz JED= Jedioth Ahronoth JPO= Jerusalem Post GLO= Globes Veröffentlicht am: 27. Oktober 2010 Verantwortlich: Dr. Ralf Hexel, Leiter der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Israel Redaktion: Maike Harel Anita Haviv Homepage: www.fes.org.il Email: fes@fes.org.il 6