Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 06/11 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 7. – 25. März 2011 1. Neue Eskalation der Gewalt In den vergangenen Tagen ist es zu einer Eskalation der Gewalt zwischen Israel und Palästinensern gekommen. Nach dem Mord in der Siedlung Itamar im Westjordanland explodierte am 23. März eine Bombe in Jerusalem. Eine Frau starb und mehrere Menschen wurden verletzt. Zudem ist die Lage an Israels Grenze zum Gazastreifen angespannt. Palästinensische Extremisten schossen Grad-Raketen auf die israelische Stadt Be‘er Sheva und auf an den Gazastreifen grenzende Gebiete. Die Hamas bekannte sich zu den ersten Raketen, die am 22. März abgeschossen wurden, während spätere Angriffe auf das Konto des Islamischen Jihads gingen. Die israelische Luftwaffe tötete mehrere Palästinenser, darunter auch vier Zivilisten. Einige israelische Beobachter sehen einen Zusammenhang zwischen den Angriffen von Hamas und den Bemühungen von Präsident Mahmoud Abbas, eine palästinensische Einheitsregierung zu schaffen. Teile der Hamas könnten sich durch eine solche Entwicklung bedroht sehen. Israel's war and peace "The time has come to show responsibility and say in a clear voice that only a combination of an uncompromising war on terror alongside the start of a genuine diplomatic process will ensure our existence as a Jewish democratic state. On one hand, we must strike the terror groups that wish to exterminate us and fight them mercilessly, without hypocrisy or doublespeak. On the other hand, we must raise the banner of peace, embark on a diplomatic process with the Palestinian Authority[…] and secure Israel’s finalstatus borders once and for all.[…] The Netanyahu government lacks the will, intention and political ability to take us there." Shaul Mofaz, JED 24.03.11 Killing Jews in small doses "The murder in Itamar,[…] as well as Wednesday's bombing in Jerusalem were not perceived by the world[…] as'equivalent' to the suicide bombings of the 1990s and 2000s that left dozens of fatalities. […] Despite some coverage and international condemnations, the tone and ferocity were far weaker than the response to previous'major' attacks.[…] Lack of global sympathy in the face of such attacks may aggravate the situation further, limiting the IDF's freedom in responding to terror later.[…] Our government and military leaders must make it clear to the Palestinians that even limited terror attacks will be met with a tough, aggressive and disproportionate response and will not be tolerated.[…] We shouldn't expect the international community to be overly shocked by'limited attacks,' when our own actions serve to downplay such violence." Yigal Walt, JED 23.03.11 Hamas wants calm "Despite the escalation, Hamas does not seem to want large-scale clashes yet. The organization actually has good reasons to believe that Israel is the one heating up the southern front. It began with a bombardment a few weeks ago that disrupted the transfer of a large amount of money from Egypt to the Gaza Strip, continued with the interrogation of engineer and Hamas member Dirar Abu Sisi in Israel, and ended with last week's bombing of a Hamas training base in which two Hamas militants were killed." Amos Harel, HAA 24.03.11 Get tough with Hamas now "Hamas is testing our resolve and seeking to identify to what extent we will remain restrained because of our concern not to antagonize or embarrass the Americans who are pressuring us not to be'spoilers' during this period of turmoil sweeping the Arab world.[…] 1

We must make it clear in advance that Israel will no longer adhere to the tit-for-tat formula and that we will respond with overwhelming force, not because we seek revenge but in order to deter future attacks. This is not behaving disproportionately but is rather striving to employ deterrence to protect our civilians and avoid a new full-scale conflict.[…] The time to bite the bullet is now. If we fail to reinforce deterrence immediately, the long-term price may be far more severe than any worldwide condemnations that will result." Isi Leibler, JPO 23.03.11 PM's toughest test "Until the current crisis, Netanyahu and his supporters said we have no terror.[…] But when it comes to Gaza, Netanyahu is doing the same thing his predecessors did. However, the diplomatic environment is more complicated than on the eve of Operation Cast Lead. U.S. President Barack Obama will not be enthusiastic over an Israeli operation with numerous casualties, destruction and a besieged Gaza. Egypt is in a period of political transformation, and governments of Arab countries are in danger of collapse, which would make it difficult for them to support a major Israeli campaign against Hamas.[…] The political implications of escalation are also complex. Terror strengthens the right and hurts the left. But the right is split now between Netanyahu, who speaks of'resoluteness' alongside'responsibility and wisdom,' and Lieberman, who as foreign minister can talk a great deal without responsibility for implementation. Israeli hesitation in the face of continued fire from Gaza will strengthen Lieberman.[…] Netanyahu's test will be to find the middle way." Aluf Benn, HAA 25.03.11 Understanding the 3 rd terror war "Wednesday’s bombing was not a stand-alone event. It was part and parcel of the new Palestinian terror war that is just coming into view.[…] On the face of it,[…] it would seem that the Palestinians would want to hold off on attacks altogether until after they declare independence. The fact that Fatah and Hamas have neither waited until after September to attack nor sought to differentiate themselves from one another as the attacks coalesce into a new terror campaign indicates strongly that the Palestinians no longer feel they need to pretend to oppose terror to maintain European support for their war against Israel.[…] After the people of Europe have been brainwashed by their media and intimidated by the Muslim communities, they have developed a Pavlovian response regarding Israel whereby every mention of Israel makes them hate it more. It doesn’t matter if the story is about the massacre of Israeli children or the bombing of synagogues and nursery schools. They know that Israel is the guilty party and expect the governments to punish it.[…] With Europe in tow, Fatah and Hamas feel free to join their forces and advance both militarily and politically." Caroline Glick, JPO 25.03.11 2. Mordanschlag in Itamar Am 11. März wurden fünf Mitglieder einer Familie, darunter zwei Kinder und ein Baby, in der Westbanksiedlung Itamar ermordet. Nach Informationen israelischer Sicherheitskräften handelt es sich bei den Tätern um palästinensische Extremisten. Premier Netanyahu forderte den palästinensischen Präsidenten Mahmoud Abbas daraufhin auf, gegen auf Israel gerichtete Hetzkampagnen vorzugehen und bezeichnete dessen Verurteilung des Anschlags als unzu-reichend. Nur zwei Tage nach dem Mord stimmte die Regierung dem Bau von 400 zusätzlichen Wohn-einheiten in jüdischen Siedlungen im Westjordanland zu. Netanyahu hatte in diesem Zusammenhang zu den Angehörigen der Opfer gesagt:"Sie morden, wir bauen." Für Kontroverse sorgte auch die Entscheidung, ausländischen Medien Fotos der Ermordeten zur Verfügung zu stellen. Damit wollte die israelische Regierung internationale Aufmerksamkeit für die Brutalität des Angriffs erreichen. Die meisten Medien verzichteten jedoch auf eine Ver-öffentlichung. Time for deterrence "Terror attacks must exact a price tag; regrettably, that’s the logic of the Middle East.[...] In a reality where boundaries are constantly tested, price tag acts must not be undertaken by radicals. Such activity is a political must, and as such must be undertaken under the state’s auspices.[...] How do we do it? On the tactical level, we can do it by aggressively punishing the attackers. Demolishing terrorist homes, resumption of roadblock activity and searches at villages where attackers came from.[…] On the strategic level, we should change realities on the ground. Massive construction in the large settlement blocs(which in my view is vital at all times) is one example. And what about the implica2

tions for the peace agreement, you ask? It shall survive, just like it did when we showed restraint." Yoaz Hendel, JED 19.03.11 Israel punishes itself "The government approved Sunday the construction of 400 housing units in Judea and Samaria in response to the murder in Itamar.[...] The choice we face is between dividing the land into two states and seeing the emergence of one state where Jews are not the majority. Partition would be a difficult, painful matter. A bi-national state would be a disaster. Given this reality, expanding settlements at the heart of the West Bank is a punishment for Israel, not for the Palestinians." Nahum Barnea, JPO 15.03.11 The Itamar massacre and Bibi's trap "In response to such events, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tends to use force while ignoring the political context.[…] The question, however, is what should such a response be against, and what would be its purpose.[…] Netanyahu cannot sever the link between issues of local security(for instance, around Itamar), security of the state and its agreed-on borders, and peace. Settlements can't defend themselves alone.[…] The only way to attain peace and security is to remove all the settlements, including the'blocs.'" Amir Oren, HAA 13.03.11 Two can play the incitement game "Netanyahu[…] somehow managed to turn international outrage over the brutal massacre of a young Jewish family[…] into widespread criticism of his aggressive settlement policy.[…] Who benefits? The rejectionists on all sides who don’t want peace.[...] An equally tone deaf Mahmoud Abbas failed to grasp the importance of this heinous crime.[...] Both Netanyahu and Abbas had an opportunity to calm the waters and use the incident as an opening to return to the peace table, but, as usual, neither appeared interested. It seemed as though everyone wanted to exploit the tragedy for his or her own purposes.[...] Netanyahu is right: Incitement is a major source of friction and distrust. But both sides play that game. He should listen to the invective of some of his own ministers.[...] And does he think the announcement of 500 new settlement homes does not rile the Palestinians as well as Israel’s friends?" D.M. Bloomfield, JPO 16.03.11 The price of Jewish blood "The most bizarre retaliation doctrine was uttered this week by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu […].'They murder and we build?' What exactly does it mean? That murder is equivalent to construction, and that we shall be building in response to any murder on their part?[...] It appears that after Netanyahu became the first prime minister to freeze construction in exchange for negotiations, he is also the first PM to declare that settlement construction is a punishment for the Palestinians; or in other words, that the settlement enterprise is a response to terror. So is there any wonder that after declaring this, the global empathy immediately turned into condemnation, while this disaster gave off an unpleasant scent of trading in blood?" Sima Kadmon, JED 18.03.11 On the slaughter "It's not possible to prove a direct connection between the massacre in Itamar and the daily incitement. The roots run much deeper than that.[…] In Darfur, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and other parts of the Islamic world, people have similarly been killed in all kinds of sadistic ways. Palestinian incitement is an expression of this murderous tendency, not its cause.[…] These atrocities don't fit the reigning political correctness, both in Israel and abroad, regarding Arab and Muslim murderousness." Israel Harel, HAA 17.03.11 The Palestinian victim mentality "Before going into the moral cowardice of the Palestinians’ reaction, I want to emphasize that from all evidence, they do genuinely deplore it, with few exceptions.[...] They are not the amoral creatures that so many Israelis consider them to be.[…] They know that stabbing children to death, any children, is the worst abomination. What Palestinians cannot do, though, is take collective responsibility for such an abomination – which, after all, has happened before.[...] When children are murdered, the blame belongs to the murderer, not to any enemy he might have had. And when it happens more than once, more than twice, when it’s something that'crops up' over the course of time, then it means there is something very wrong in the society that that murderer comes from. It doesn’t mean the society is savage, but it means there is some streak of savagery in it that’s been allowed to come out.[...] What’s depressing about the Palestinian reaction to this atrocity is their refusal to take any responsibility 3

for it – to say this was an act plainly committed in our name, in the name of our cause, it isn’t the first time it’s happened, so we have a problem.[...] The only Palestinian I heard even suggesting that the massacre had anything to do with them was an Israeli Palestinian, MK Ahmed Tibi, who said in the Knesset that it'shames the Palestinians.' I think he’s right; I think that deep down, Palestinians are ashamed of what happened in Itamar, but they don’t have the courage to admit it – not even to themselves." Larry Derfner, JPO 16.03.11 Execute the modern-day Nazis "In the case of the murder in Itamar I have no problem with the death penalty whatsoever. Creatures that are able to face young children and a baby girl, look at them, and stab them to death in cold bold must pay for their actions with their life. Until the day of the terrible murder I innocently believed that only the animals of the SS[…] could treat Jews in such brutal, animalistic way during the Holocaust. Now I understand that today too, creatures that lack any hint of conscience or humanity do exist." Noah Klieger, JED 16.03.11 A cynical exploitation of murder "Right-wing politicos, cabinet ministers, Knesset members and West Bank rabbis expropriated the murder[…] and made it a political event. To them the five murdered members of the Fogel family are a catalyst for realizing the great dream: the dream of messianic redemption, of the Greater Land of Israel. […] The murders strengthened the hands of extremists on both sides. Those on the Palestinian side want young settlers to launch a revenge campaign in their villages that will set off a third intifada. Our extremists want that intifada to become an allout war[…] that will end in victory and the 'cleansing' of Arabs from the land. The only problem is that while both sides are confident in their own victory, only one side can prevail, and sometimes both lose." Nehemia Strasler, HAA 15.03.11 Just the facts "Deploying'shock effect' as public diplomacy is a tactic regularly used by our enemies[...] to galvanize world opinion against Israel.[...] Under the circumstances, it is no surprise that Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein is looking for new and innovative ways to win the battle for world opinion. But his latest idea – to use, with the permission of the Fogel family, the graphic photos of the slaughter victims to arouse world sympathy – is wrongheaded.[...] Resorting to the distribution of such photos in an attempt to wrench hearts is to risk stooping to the level of our enemies, who cynically and shamelessly desecrate the honor of their dead to disparage Israel and will, therefore, always'outdo' us.[...] Instead, Israel’s public diplomacy hierarchy’s efforts should focus on making sure that those who want to know the truth have straightforward access to it, pressing media outlets to report our reality fairly and holding to account those that do not. People who don’t care about the truth won’t be convinced by the most graphic pictures." JPO 15.03.11 Editorial 3. Armee fängt Waffenladung für Gaza ab Ein Schiff mit einer Waffenladung von mehr als 50 Tonnen ist am 15. März von der israelischen Marine im Mittelmeer abgefangen worden. Die Armee meldete, dass auf der„Victoria“ zusammen mit den Waffen Benutzerhandbüchern in Farsi gefunden wurden, was deren iranischen Ursprung belege. Teil der für den Gazastreifen bestimmten Waffenladung waren Schiffabwehrraketen. Für den israelischen Geheimdienst stellte der Fund der Waffenladung, von dem weder Crew noch Kapitän der Victoria wussten, einen großen Erfolg dar. In einer Pressekonferenz sagte Premierminister Netanyahu, die Operation sei Beweis für die anhaltenden Aktivitäten der gegen Israel gerichtete"Terrorachse“. Perpetually Purim "That'the settlements' aren’t the core of the regional conflict should be obvious from the events now shaking the Arab world. Should be, but isn’t. That the settlers aren’t the only intended target should be even more clear after Israel Navy commandos last week managed to seize a huge quantity of weapons, including mortars and antiship missiles, being transported in the Victoria cargo ship. The idea of global jihad is a lesson the world seems intent on learning the hard way." Liat Collins, JPO 19.03.11 4

Israel must counter Hamas "At this time already, the Gaza Strip is a Revolutionary Guards outpost. Victoria, the vessel that aimed to deliver arms to Hamas, carried only a small fraction of what is already available in the Strip. Nurturing Hamas’ self-confidence with minor responses to deliberate attacks and turning a blind eye to an unprecedented military buildup has brought us to a difficult situation.[…] Nonetheless, we do not have too many choices; whatever we fail to do today shall cost us much more tomorrow." Yoaz Hendel, JED 21.03.11 Iran's war ship "When we hear of the interception by our navy of a weapons-ferrying vessel on the high seas, we get only a minimal glimpse of the end-product of a super-intricate caper.[...] Our appreciation for a job well done only increases when we begin to fathom what it was that the Iranians tried to deliver to their Gazan proxies. While much of world opinion laments a supposed humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, the Strip’s Hamas overlords never lose an opportunity to demonstrate where their concerns really lie. They are certainly not preoccupied with the welfare of their population.[...] By seizing the Victoria, Israel not only dealt a blow to Hamas machinations but foremost to those of Hamas’s Iranian patron. The Victoria’s cargo wouldn’t merely have added quantitatively to Hamas’s already colossal arsenal; it would have strategically upgraded its quality.[…] So far, the world media has shown only scant interest in the story.[...] Aggressive anti-Israel schemes – of which the Victoria is only the most recent example – aren’t registered, much less internalized, at a time when the war against Israel has increasingly switched to the propaganda arena, where vilification and libel are the preferred weapons of choice. Iran’s protégés continually provoke Israel, yet are still allowed to masquerade as victims." JPO 16.03.11 Editorial Extreme overkill "Israel's chance of achieving political or PR gain out of the takeover of the Iranian missile shipment to Gaza was limited from the start. The authorities' strange conduct at the display at the Ashdod port yesterday reduced it to zero.[…] Netanyahu[…] wants to sell the missiles' capture as proof of the Palestinians' murderous intentions.[…] The problem is that the world is in no hurry to buy the Israeli argument. The United States and Europe make a clear distinction between the Palestinian Authority and the Islamic organizations.[…] The missiles seized on the Victoria were intended for Hamas or Islamic Jihad, while Netanyahu's(partly justified) arguments about the PA's incitement are not causing much of a media stir.[…] The navy made all the preparations for Netanyahu's visit on the dock.[…] From this point, things started to go wrong. The Shin Bet[…] detained a large batch of foreign journalists for more than an hour before beginning the security checks. No wonder many of them got tired of waiting and left. Presumably they weren't too enthusiastic to begin with over what they saw as an Israeli propaganda display.[…] The entire event reeked of extreme overkill. Most of what remained of the impressive intelligence and naval-commando achievement, as usual in our case, was a sour taste." Amos Harel, HAA 17.03.11 4. Katastrophe in Japan Das Erdbeben und der Tsunami in Japan sowie die Nuklearkatastrophe haben auch in den israelischen Medien einen prominenten Platz eingenommen. Dabei wird immer wieder thematisiert, dass auch Israel in einem durch Erdbeben gefährdeten Gebiet liegt. Vor etwa einem Jahr hatte die Regierung zudem angekündigt, ein Atomkraftwerk – es gibt bisher keine Atomkraftwerke in Israel- in Südisrael bauen zu wollen. Während der Vorsitzende der israelischen Elektrizitätswerke angab, auch nach den Geschehnissen in Japan an diesem Vorhaben festzuhalten, bezog Premier Netanyahu eine andere Position. Er sagte in einem Interview, er sei nicht vom Bau eines Atomkraftwerkes überzeugt und wolle stattdessen auf das Gas setzen, das kürzlich vor Israels Küste gefunden worden sei. Melancholy thoughts from a trembling land "Where are technology and progress when we need them most? It's true that a disaster of this magnitude would have ended even worse in most other countries. It's also true that Japan will once again find its feet. But this tsunami[…] swept away the saccharine illusion that nothing bad can happen, that technology and economic prosperity are a guarantee of a better future[…]. One clear day, an economic powerhouse suddenly turned into a country with empty shelves in the supermarkets, lines for gaso5

line, electricity outages as in Gaza, and huge plants that aren't working.[…] Japan will be sure to learn at least some of the lessons: This may be the end of its nuclear power stations. Perhaps the rest of the world, too, will learn a lesson or two. But it will soon go back to its regular activities, to the race for nuclear supremacy, to the intoxication of technology, to the magic of riches and prosperity, both real and imagined." Gideon Levy, HAA 17.03.11 The earthquake may be good news for Japan's economy "It is reasonable to assume that despite the major tragedy, the current disaster in Japan will actually boost the growth of Japan's GDP and contribute to growth in the global economy as well.[…] It appears that most of the rebuilding will be seen in infrastructure- roads, electricity, water, trains, etc. as well as in construction and cleaning up the agricultural lands. These are areas in which the Japanese are experts, and the strength of Japan's economy, together with the control and effectiveness of the Japanese in times of emergency, will allow them to rebuild themselves better than most other nations. […] It doesn’t appear that there will be a shortage of electricity in the world, but the proportion of nuclear energy will apparently not rise in the near future." Yacov Sheinin, GLO 14.03.11 The nuclear genie is out of the reactor "Japan, which is one of the most industrialized and advanced countries in the world, is a victim of progress.[…] This country[…] has discovered that the substitute that was considered clean, safe and immune to an external embargo, is realizing the very risks that over decades were shoved aside into an ostensibly unfeasible footnote.[…] In the overall context, it will be a gloomy outcome for Israel if Japan and others become more dependent on Middle Eastern oil. Israel would do well to accelerate the efforts to rely on other sources of energy, such as sun and wind, and to carefully reexamine its own nuclear economy- both for security needs and for civilian needs- in light of the events in Fukushima." HAA, 03.16.11 Editorial Infrastructures Ministry still going nuclear "The shock waves of the nuclear catastrophe in Japan were certainly felt in Israel this week, but it is doubtful whether they will have any effect on the plan to construct a nuclear power plant here.[…] But it's impossible to ignore the fact that nuclear energy has huge destructive power, even if the chances of it being unleashed are very low.[…] The central question, however, is what does Israel need a nuclear power plant for? A small, crowded country, surrounded by enemies pointing missiles at it, and vulnerable to earthquakes it sounds like a surefire recipe for trouble when it comes to nuclear power. An economic assessment is also not supportive of the idea. The cost of constructing a nuclear power plant is much higher than the cost of any other type, coal or gas-fired, or solar." Amiram Bakram, GLO 17.03.11 Rethinking nuclear power "The nuclear disaster in Japan caused Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to declare last week that Israel will not build nuclear power plants.[…] Israel could yet become'a light unto the nations' by implementing never-ending, carbon-free and completely safe energy: solar and wind energy.[…] Israel is already at the cutting edge of solar energy. Some 80 percent of homes have solar panels that heat water.[…] Militarily, a nuclear power plant is a sitting duck for Israel’s enemies. A hostile country – or terrorist organization – need not put together an atomic bomb to bring nuclear destruction. It need only use an aircraft to pierce the concrete containment of any nuclear plant and cause a core meltdown.[…] Israel has the capability to become the leading country in the promotion of alternative energy.[…] Now Israel can lead the world in providing a safe and clean future, if it wills it." Karl Grossman, JPO 21.03.11 Between one disaster and the next "Nearly half of all schools in Israel were built before a standard for earthquake-resistant construction was introduced in 1980, and are at risk of collapse.[…] Entire wards in four hospitals in the north are expected to collapse if a major earthquake hits.[…] How protected are the nuclear reactors, the Israel Institute for Biological Research and other such facilities?[…] There should be a clear procedure for what to do during an earthquake, so that everyone knows who's responsible for what.[…] A task force[…] could help minimize the damage a disaster like an earthquake would cause- saving the lives of hun6

dreds or thousands of people and making it one of the most important committees in Israel's history." Shahar Ilan, HAA 14.03.11 5. 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 einen Streik von Sozialarbeitern, der bereits mehr als zwei Wochen andauert: Help social workers do their job "For the past six months some 10,000 public sector social workers have attempted to convince the Treasury to renegotiate a wage agreement last updated 16 years ago. And for six months the Treasury has ignored them.[...] To the mind of the Treasury official[…] services provided by the social worker are eminently superfluous.[...] There is much to be said for the liberal ethic of freedom from big government, with its tendency to over-tax, regulate markets and inhibit private initiative[...]. Nor should we lose sight of the tremendous fiscal demands of running a welfare state. Nonetheless, there can also be severe consequences to budgetary scale-downs and welfare cuts. When large swaths of society lack basic social services, polarization between'haves' and'have nots' is further heightened. And this in turn can have negative ramifications for our economy’s overall health and stability. Even if Treasury officials lack social workers’ compassion, there are good economic reasons to make it a little easier for social workers to do their job." JPO 06.03.11 Editorial The welfare workers' welfare "The social workers have despaired, while the government has already proven that it responds mainly to pressure. The country's social workers must cope with an inhuman case load(each one handles about 250 cases, on average) in exchange for very low pay.[…] A battle to encourage the hiring of more workers which began in 1999 has thus far resulted in an additional 221 positions- out of the 1,000 that were needed even back then.[…] The government preferred to give financial support to thousands of private nonprofit organizations that dole out charity with no proper professional diagnoses. In so doing, it reduced the funds available for welfare work and accelerated Israel's transformation from a welfare state that takes care of its citizens to a charity state governed by the pressures of various lobbies.[…] A strong public welfare system is a necessary condition for a strong society." HAA 07.03.11 Editorial Über den westlichen Militäreinsatz gegen den libyschen Diktator Muammar Gaddafi: From Facebook to Tomahawk "At first glance, it is easy to extrapolate from the Iraq experience and hazard forecasts regarding this Libya offensive. Yet the truth is that there are some important differences between the two situations, differences that reflect a change of perception.[…] This time the so-called Western forces- with the collaboration and backing of many Arab states have decided to act in order to prevent the killing of citizens and to help the civil rebellion against the regime. While the joint Western and Arab action against Libya's dictatorial regime has widespread support, it raises a complicated dilemma. Up to now, the populations of Arab states such as Tunisia and Egypt managed on their own to topple their regimes, and set the stage for democratic reform.[…] In Libya, however, the Facebook revolution is liable to turn into the Tomahawk revolution: The intervention of forces from Western states is liable to undermine the legitimacy of civilian movements there and perhaps in other states." HAA 21.03.11 Editorial West versus Libya's madman "The aerial offensive[…] secured one important objective already – it curbed the advance of Gaddafi’s army and militias towards Benghazi, thereby averting[…] the mass slaughter of city residents.[...] However, the battle for Libya is still far from being decided.[…] As a skilled tyrant who does not shy away from utilizing the means that allowed Saddam Hussein and his regime to survive the first American offensive against Iraq in 1991, Gaddafi is transporting large 7

groups of civilians to major airbases in order to serve as human shields.[…] At the same time, Gaddafi declared a ceasefire and will likely order his army to honor it in order to show that he is complying with Security Council resolutions. By doing so, he will make it even more difficult for the West to act against him.[…] Officials in Washington are aware of all of the above, which explains the lack of enthusiasm and caution adopted by the Obama Administration." Ron Ben-Yishai, JED 20.03.11 HAA= Haaretz JED= Jedioth Ahronoth JPO= Jerusalem Post GLO= Globes Veröffentlicht im: 27. März 2011 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 8