Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 17/12 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 16. September – 02. Oktober 2012 1. Netanyahu und Ahmadinejad vor der UN-Generalversammlung Anlässlich der diesjährigen UN-Generalversammlung haben sowohl der iranische Präsident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad als auch der israelische Premier Benjamin Netanyahu Ansprachen im Plenum der Vereinten Nationen in New York gehalten. Ahmadinejad hatte im Vorfeld auf einer Pressekonferenz gesagt, dass Israel keine Wurzeln im Nahen Osten habe und nur ein vorübergehendes Phänomen sei. Netanyahu betonte in seiner Rede, dass iranische Atomwaffen nicht nur eine Gefahr für Israel, sondern für die ganze Welt darstellen würden. Mit einer roten Linie, die er auf die Abbildung einer Bombe malte, demonstrierte er, wann das iranische Atomprogramm so weit fortgeschritten sein werde, dass es nicht mehr aufzuhalten sei. Da er als Zeitfenster den Frühling 2013 nannte, scheint die Befürchtung, Israel könne noch vor den US-Wahlen im November 2012 einen Angriff auf den Iran starten, vorerst ausgeräumt zu sein. Dafür spricht auch, dass die Wirkungen der Sanktionen gegen den Iran in einem von der Zeitung Haaretz veröffentlichten internen Papier des israelischen Außenministeriums als „dramatisch“ bezeichnet werden. Time for atonement “Technically, Ahmadinejad has the legal right to address the UN’s GA.[…]. However, prominent figures[…] have all called on the UN to indict Ahmadinejad and expel the Iranian regime from membership of the international body. […] Iran and its leaders have regularly trampled UN principles. Ahmadinejad and other high-ranking officials have repeatedly denied the Holocaust while calling for the destruction of the Jewish state.[…] Has the world failed to learn that indifference and inaction provide the necessary backdrop for genocide?[…] The time has come for countries that care and leaders of conscience to break the silence and speak out.” JPO 24.09.12 Editorial A Hitler wannabe visits New York “For all Ahmadinejad’s protestations of a Zionist world conspiracy and how we Jews control everything, he is well aware of just how weak we Jews are, and he loves to rub it in our faces. Like clockwork, he is here in late September each year to call for the destruction of the Jewish state right smack in the heart of New York, a city that has more Jews in it than any other on earth.[…] Jewish economic power cannot stop the perfidious Warwick hotel from hosting Ahmadinejad and his retinue. The billionaire Jewish mayor of New York cannot stop him from landing in his city and touring its landmarks.[…] No, we go about our business, content to allow an aspiring Hitler invade this town while he separately desecrates the memory of six million martyrs who have already paid with their lives for the earlier Hitler that the world similarly did not take seriously.” Shmuley Boteach, TOI 24.09.12 A necessary comparison “Iran today plays the card of a marginalized and isolated country. The sanction regime is hurting its economy and commercial capabilities but it is not undermining the true nature of the threat: the regime’s will.[…] Today’s sanctions against Iran are further stimulating its ultra-radical policies while they aren’t securitizing the region. Without a credible military threat, sanctions may well have the opposite effect.” Riccardo Dugulin, JED 24.09.12 New world order— Iranian style “There were those who were surprised by Ahmadinejad's moderate speech.[…] Ahmadinejad focused primarily on‘spirituality’ and‘values’[…]. Only 1

once did he mention Israel, when he referenced the ‘uncivilized Zionists’ threatening to attack Iran.[…] But this speech to the Assembly was even more dangerous. He revealed the Iranian dream— a new world order ruled by Islam.[…] In the power vacuum that could be created by America's decline, Iran wants to position itself at the top and lead the nonaligned countries.” Boaz Bismuth, IHY 27.09.12 A sigh of relief at the White House “Over at the White House, a sigh of relief could be heard; Netanyahu effectively ruled out an Israeli military campaign against Iran before the U.S. presidential elections in November. There is nothing quite as important as that date, as far as Obama is concerned.[…] Perhaps Netanyahu realized that he could not pressure the U.S. administration into taking more action — for now— despite the colossal efforts on his part. Netanyahu may have also concluded that the U.S. would be more inclined to heed his demands if he were to ratchet down his rhetoric.” Dan Margalit, IHY 28.09.12 An atombomb in the United Nations “The speech was said to have been moderate.[…] It was a peace-loving speech, on the face of it. Netanyahu demanded that Obama present Tehran with a red line, but gave the reason that a red line would prevent war.[…] But in fact it was the most apocalyptic speech that Netanyahu ever gave. He spoke of a world war between the sons of light and the sons of darkness; between enlightened and tolerant modernity supposedly represented by Israel, the U.S. and the Western world, and the dark ages represented by Islamic forces[…]. He has not given such a militant and paranoid address for a long time. If in the past Netanyahu focused on threats to Israel's survival[…], now the existential danger has spread to the entire world. Superpowers who have thousands of hydrogen bombs are shaking like leaves in the face of Iran's 70 percent of an atom bomb, pulled out like a comic strip drawing at the decisive moment.” Aner Shalev, HAA 02.10.12 The world remembers red lines “Netanyahu's speech was unusual in the U.N. landscape because it contained detailed explanations, including graphic aids, rather than slogans and general statements. Netanyahu spoke in a purposeful manner to persuade doubters and those unaware of the seriousness and urgency of the Iranian nuclear threat. Netanyahu's speech and drawing captured the headlines on most American electronic media outlets and important newspapers that day. It again proved the truth of the adage that‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’" Zalman Shoval, IHY 02.10.12 'Red line' measured in kilos “The speech was effective.[…] His speech made it clear that Israel still believes there is a narrow window of opportunity to pressure Iran before it crosses the line beyond which Israel alone would not be able to stop Iran's pursuit of a nuclear bomb.[…] The‘red line’ drawn by the PM does indicate that tensions are due to resurface in March 2013 in the event that Iran continues to enrich uranium to midlevel purity.[…] Netanyahu justifiably claims that the moment Iran obtains the capability to produce enough weaponsgrade material for one atomic bomb no one will be able to stop its nuclear program.[…] Netanyahu told the UN that Iran must not be allowed to reach this point.” Ron Ben-Yishai, JED 28.09.12 This bomb is no joke “Thursday's speech also had political ramifications […]: If, at the start of the Knesset's winter session in around two weeks, Netanyahu calls for early elections[…] it's clear that the election campaign will be centered on the Iranian threat. In an election campaign that has a security-diplomatic, even existential character, less experienced politicians[…] who are pushing a socio-economic agenda, will find themselves in terra incognita, with little to sell the public. […] Netanyahu will tell the Israeli voters[…] that in this matter, you have no one to rely on, not even our Father in Heaven, except for me.” Yossi Verter, HAA 28.09.12 2. Die Zukunft des Friedensprozesses Seit 2010 haben keine israelisch-palästinensischen Friedensgespräche mehr stattgefunden. Trotz internationaler Vermittlungsversuche war die Aufnahme erneuter Verhandlungen an dem Streit über die Einfrierung von Bautätigkeiten von jüdischen Siedlungen in der Westbank gescheitert. Nun erwägt die palästinensische Führung, die Oslo Verträge von 1993 zu annullieren. Die Verträge, die palästinensische Autonomie, eine Anerkennung Israels durch die Palästinenser und einen Rückzug der israelischen Siedler aus der Westbank vorsahen, sollten ursprünglich für eine Interimsperiode 2

von fünf Jahren gelten und zu einem Friedensvertrag führen. In seiner Ansprache vor der diesjährigen UNGeneralversammlung kündigte der palästinensische Präsident Mahmoud Abbas des Weiteren an, die UN vor Jahresende um den Status als„observer state“ ersuchen zu wollen. Er fügte hinzu, dass die Zeit für eine Zwei-Staaten-Lösung angesichts der israelischen Siedlungstätigkeiten ablaufe. Indes sprach sich auf israelischer Seite Verteidigungsminister Ehud Barak für eine unilaterale Evakuierung von Siedlungen aus der Westbank aus. The PA’s Oslo threats “It is difficult to fathom who Abbas supposes he may be frightening. If any side has benefitted from Oslo, it is his.[…] We lost over 1,500 lives – once cynically referred to as‘victims of peace.’[…] We imported between 40,000 to 50,000 armed Fatah terrorists from Tunis and gave them and their Hamas rivals legitimacy at the expense of our own legitimacy. We made the creation of a Palestinian state axiomatically accepted everywhere while our own existence is being increasingly questioned. Therefore,[…] Oslo should no longer be dear to any sober Israeli, which brings up the question of why Abbas assumes that he would be startling us with the move he now purports to be seriously weighing.” JPO 27.09.12 Editorial Oslo – a missed opportunity “On the Israeli side, unbridled attacks on the agreement have crossed all red lines. They stem from maliciousness, distortion of facts, lack of understanding and ignorance of those who want to hide and blur the truth.[…] Has Israel fulfilled its part of the agreement? The answer is no. Oslo's goal was to gradually diminish the occupation until it was no longer, but we continued to be an occupying nation.[…] The Palestinians also violated the Oslo agreement by launching major terror attacks on Israel and its citizens.[…] The terror emanating from the West Bank ceased only with the election of Mahmoud Abbas as president of the Palestinian Authority, and the Palestinians have been living up to their end of the agreement for years.[…] Oslo gave Israel wall-to-wall international support, the likes of which it had not seen since the state's inception. This support almost unraveled almost completely due to the continued occupation.” Danny Caravan, JED 21.09.12 The PA won't dare cancel Oslo "Palestinian terrorist organizations did not disband and weapons were channeled to them with even greater vigor, and although the Palestinian Authority promised to‘recognize the State of Israel's right to exist in peace and security,’ official Palestinian media outlets and school books continued spreading radical anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic propaganda on a daily basis. On the other end, Israel, and the rest of the world, recognized the PLO as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and allowed its leadership into the territories, thus stifling any chance of a more legitimate leadership rising from the local population. […] In reality, even the obligation to end the conflict peacefully was baseless in light of the Palestinian leadership's refusal to actually reach real compromises with Israel[…]. The current Palestinian initiative to bypass negotiations by turning directly to the United Nations is not only a breach of the Oslo Accords; it is final confirmation of the fundamental Palestinian position that seeks to avoid any scenario that may require them to make concessions, not to mention finally and fully recognizing the State of Israel.” Zalman Shoval, IHY 24.09.12 Let the Palestinian Authority collapse “In effect, the PA is tossing nearly two decades of peacemaking attempts into the bin and threatening to tar Israel as a pariah nation.[…] If the PA insists on treating Israel like an enemy, then there is no reason why the Jewish state should not return the favor. Instead of keeping the PA going, with all the trouble that entails, let’s do what we should have done long ago: reassert control over all of Judea and Samaria and sweep away this fetid regime. Through its words and its actions, the PA has shown time and again that it has no real interest in coexistence or peace.” Michael Freud, JPO 27.09.12 Who violated the Oslo Accords? “Ten days after the accords were signed on the White House lawn,[…] the terrorist attacks began. The first man killed was Yigal Vaaknin.[…] The attacks continued, with more and more people murdered every few days. By the end of 1993, 15 deadly terror attacks had been recorded. […] If initial claims said that these attacks were carried out only by the rejectionist anti-PLO organizations, such as Hamas,[…] we very quickly realized that the PLO also played a critical role.[…] If anyone violated the accords it was the PLO, and these violations were clearly premeditated. Palestinians do not need to annul the agreement because 3

they never really meant to uphold it in the first place.” Eli Hazan, IHY 20.09.12 Are Netanyahu, Abbas really interested in 2-state solution? “Does either side actually want a two-state solution?[…] One could give the prime minister the benefit of the doubt and say that he is trying to keep the right wing off his back for reasons of political stability and, when the time comes, he would act to evacuate settlements to facilitate the creation of a Palestinian state. But[…] Netanyahu is, unfortunately, giving Abbas reason to suspect that negotiations would not be fruitful. However, there is at least as much evidence that Abbas is not the leader who will end decades of Palestinian rejectionism, as there is disproving Netanyahu’s peacemaker pretentions. […] So the irony is that while a two state solution is almost universally regarded as the optimum way to solve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians; and the leaders of the two protagonists are formally signed up to this solution, it’s not actually clear that either of them have the will and/or inclination to seriously pursue it. Both men claim that the other is to blame for the absence of negotiations, but if either one wished to, he could act unilaterally to change the status quo.” Paul Gross, JPO 27.09.12 The idée fixe is returning “The Oslo process has hit rock bottom.[…] Abbas and chief negotiator Saeb Erekat have expressed the Palestinians' growing disappointment with the occupation, settlement expansion and the standstill in the peace process.[…] The Oslo Accords were intended to pave the way to the occupation's end and the establishment of a Palestinian state.[…] Hamas leaders objecting to the Oslo Accords have been joined by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. […] Mitt Romney also doesn't believe in a peace agreement between Israel and its neighbors.[…] It would be reasonable to assume that Romney's conclusion- that the absence of a solution is preferable to a two-state solution- echo things he heard from his friend, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The idee fixe that preferred the status quo to a peace initiative already exacted a heavy price from Israel 39 years ago. Alarmingly, this destructive idee fixe is returning.” HAA 20.09.12 Editorial Barak’s unilateral proposition “The risks of unilateral withdrawal are clear and real, and must not be dismissed out of hand. At the same time, however, they should not be inflated so as to prevent Israel from taking the proactive steps that are vital for its very survival: ending the occupation so as to prevent the Zionist dream from turning into a one-state nightmare.[…] Barak’s plan might be flawed, and it certainly will involve taking substantial risks, but at the very least it provides Israel with a possible way out of the greatest threat posed to the survival of the Zionist endeavor. That is something the Netanyahu government has failed to do.” Jonathan Rosen, JPO 27.09.12 What if Benny Morris is right? Let's assume that[…] many right-wing Israelis are right, and that even the current, pragmatic, Palestinian leadership, the one that rejects violence, isn't interested in a two-state solution.[…] What[to do] do if there really is‘no partner’? The obvious answer is to continue what former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon began— unilateral withdrawal to beyond a certain line in the West Bank.[…] Such a solution would solve our demographic problem, but will not ensure our safety.[…] If it turns out that there is, in fact, no Palestinian partner for peace, I would support the unilateral approach just to preserve the Jewish state. One thing really is impossible: assuming that the Palestinians don't want peace and rolling the ball into someone else's court.” Yossi Beilin, IHY 28.09.12 3. 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 hohen Lebenshaltungskosten in den palästinensischen Gebieten und die Unzufriedenheit der Bevölkerung: Time bomb under Israel's nose “The West Bank is a time bomb and[…] reduced fuel prices cannot stop the‘Arab Spring’ train, which has already arrived in the PA.[…] The PA, headed 4

by Abbas, is entirely dependent on external elements: Israel controls the territory, collects taxes and then transfers the money to the Authority; most revenues come from donations made by the US, EU, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States.[…] The financial crisis, which led to unprecedented price hikes in the West Bank, is the result of the slowdown in Israel, the PA's credit crisis and its mounting debts, the increase in the price of fuel around the world, a drop in donations coming in from wealthy Arab countries, rampant tax evasion and more.[…] The unemployment rate in the territories has reached nearly 17% over the past year(in Gaza the unemployment rate is twice as high). The Palestinians are mimicking the patterns of the‘Arab Spring’". Yaron Friedman, JED 26.09.12 West Bank volatility “Protests against the high cost of living had broken out in a number of cities on the West Bank. And most of the anger on the Palestinian street was being directed at PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad […]. But instead of announcing concrete steps to improve the Palestinian economy[…] a flippant and cynical Abbas lashed out at Israel and the US for plotting against the PA.[…] Palestinians are frustrated. They get the feeling – rightly – that Abbas is not taking the recent demonstrations seriously. The Palestinian public is not stupid. Not everything can be blamed on‘the occupation.’[…] With a Palestinian leadership that refuses to accept responsibility and instead shifts the blame to others, it is no wonder that Abbas’s popularity is weakening. […] With no moderate political options available, the weakening of the Fatah-ruled PA will inevitably result in the rise of Hamas in the West Bank.” JPO 18.09.12 Editorial Über eine Soldatin, die bei einem Angriff auf Israels Südgrenze einen Terroristen tötete: Pussy Karakal “A female Israeli soldier kills a terrorist- and the entire country goes wild with excitement over the heroine of the moment, Corporal S. of the Karakal battalion.[…] Her picture- standing legs apart on the hood of the jeep in a ridiculous combat pose[…] decorated the front pages of the newspapers.[…] We can see a little of her well-built body in uniform […] in a picture of war and erotica, blood and sex. […] The route to gender equality is still long and painful, the discrimination is still at its height[…]. The way to equality doesn't pass through the barrel of a gun or the killing of a terrorist[…]. A society that is so maleoriented, with such outrageous salary gaps between men and women, and almost all of whose fateful decision-makers are males, will not suddenly become more just and equitable because S. killed a terrorist.” Gideon Levy, HAA 27.09.12 The beautiful Israeli woman “Is the IDF, which has a clear and defined purpose, supposed to promote gender equality and rights? Is the army as a unifying force that accepts into its ranks people from such a wide range of backgrounds, responsible for creating an egalitarian society?[…] One 18-year old female soldier gave the sharp and precise answer appropriate to many of these questions. It turned out she was raised in an Orthodox home and could easily have avoided combat service. She was raised to avoid it, but she sought a way to contribute significantly to her country. Her heroic story must be told now to a generation uncertain about military service enlistment.” Hagit Ron Rabinovich, IHY 24.09.12 HAA= Haaretz JED= Jedioth Ahronoth JPO= Jerusalem Post IHY= Israel HaYom TOI= Times of Israel Veröffentlicht am: 04. Oktober 2012 Verantwortlich: Dr. Ralf Hexel, Leiter der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Israel Redaktion: Maike Harel Stefan Pantekoek Homepage: www.fes.org.il Email: fes@fes.org.il 5