Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 18/14 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 1.-15. Novemberr Die Themen dieser Ausgabe 1. Unruhen in Jerusalem und Kfar Kana.............................................................................................................. 1 2. Sieg der Republikaner bei der Kongresswahl.................................................................................................. 3 3. Shula Zakens heimliche Telefonmitschnitte..................................................................................................... 4 4. Medienquerschnitt............................................................................................................................................ 6 1. Unruhen in Jerusalem und Kfar Kana Ein erneuter Autoanschlag mit zwei Toten heizte die Unruhen in Jerusalem weiter an. Parallel zu den Unruhen kam es zu Brandanschlägen auf eine Moschee im Westjordanland und eine Synagoge in Israel. Yizhak Aharonovich, Minister für Öffentliche Sicherheit, forderte ein schärferes Vorgehen gegen gewalttätige Demonstranten. Kurz darauf töteten Polizisten einen 22jährigen israelischen Palästinenser in Kfar Kana, der sie mit einem Messer bedroht hatte. Der Mann war bereits auf dem Rückzug, als die Beamten auf ihn zielten. Die Tötung des jungen Mannes löste heftige Proteste in der arabischen Bevölkerung Israels aus, die den Vorfall als Symptom einer zunehmenden institutionellen Anfeindung gegen Araber in Israel wertet. The battle over Jerusalem's sovereignty (…) All the Palestinian factions, without exception, have created a combined front aimed at shaking off the Israeli control of Jerusalem. Every sector on this front has its own immediate interest. Hamas encourages violence in Jerusalem in order to maintain its status in the national struggle and cover up the paralysis it was struck with along the borders in Gaza. The Palestinian Authority sees the violence in Jerusalem as a key political tool in the diplomatic intifada it is waging against Israel on the international front.(…) The Palestinians are also making more and more use of terminology taken from the Nazi occupation of the big cities of Europe in order to encourage the loathing towards Israel on the European street. As the flames in Jerusalem rise higher, an increasing number of countries will gladly rush to unilaterally recognize the occupied Palestinian state. (…) Abbas makes the following clear to Israel: In a place where we – the PA – are not present, you are incapable of controlling the population. If we're not in Jerusalem, you get embroiled in violence. The moment we decide to stop the coordination with your security organizations in the West Bank, you will get into trouble there as well.(…) It's true that the Palestinians in Jerusalem are suffering and getting arrested, but as far as the PA is concerned, it's part of the struggle and it's worthwhile. It's not that the PA isn't intervening. On the contrary, it's inciting and fanning the flame s.(…) In order to calm the situation in Jerusalem, Israel must first and foremost make it not worthwhile for the Palestinian Authority to encourage the continuation of violence in Jerusalem. This can be achieved in two ways. The first is opening a door to renewed peace negotiations, and there is no chance of this happening in the current political constellation. The second way is using more force, (…) Alex Fishman, JED, 06.11.14 Step up to the plate, Mr. Mayor (…) Over the past few weeks, Jerusalem has been burning. But the violence is not organized – it is a 1

vengeful response to the current situation and not nationalistically motivated. And so I was surprised to hear the mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat, contend that the public security minister, Yitzhak Aharonovitch, is not doing enough to quell the unrest. In my opinion, the source of that unrest is the mayor himself and his policies in east Jerusalem. True, the Palestinian Authority would like to stoke the fires of the conflict in Jerusalem. Conflict in Jerusalem could both jump-start the stalled negotiations and help to bring the Palestinian question back to the international table, since it has been recently pushed aside by Islamic State. But the Palestinian Authority hasn’t been able to fire up the residents of east Jerusalem, because most of them have no interest in being under the rule of the PA, either.(…) The mayor himself will have to go into the neighborhoods of east Jerusalem and hear the legitimate complaints of the residents of his city. Jerusalem may be on fire, but the vast majority of Jerusalemites, Arab and Jewish alike, do not want to see their city go up in flames. They want calm and public order. This is the mayor’s responsibility. Bassem Eid, JPO, 06.11.14 Police shooting puts Justice Ministry unit to the test (…) Considering the tension among Palestinians in East Jerusalem and Arab citizens of Israel, the killing of a young Arab man by the Israel Police could be the spark that ignites a blaze, in terms of both society and security.(…) This is a test for the Ju stice Ministry unit investigating police conduct.(…) The Justice Ministry unit and the attorney general should not make do with examining whether the shooting was justified because of the policeman’s subjective feeling that he was in mortal danger.(In the video of the incident, it appears Hamdan was stabbing with a knife at the closed windows of the police car before running away and being shot from close range.) The tendency of the police to use live fire precisely when carrying out duties among the Arab population, and the fact that most citizens shot by police are Arabs, requires a revamping of the police doctrine on the use of force. The intolerable outcome of the unit’s investigat ion of the killing of 13 Arab citizens in the riots of October 2000 must be kept in mind. The situation must be avoided at any price whereby each relevant entity does its job, and the final outcome is unacceptable. The killing of Khayr al-Din Hamdan must be investigated in a way that restores the faith of the Arab public in law enforcement. Editorial, HAA, 11.11.14 Be tough, but wise The definition is not important. Yes intifada, no intifada – Jerusalem is burning. And if immediate security, political and diplomatic steps are not taken, this fire could spread across the Arab and Muslim world.(…) There are too many factors stirring the pot – the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, the Islamic Movement in Israel and, unfortunately, quite a few of our own politicians. Some of these groups are a lost cause. Hamas and Sheikh Raed Salah(head of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel) will continue to do everything wrong here. Some of the others can be dealt with. It is vital that the U.S. and moderate Arab states call on PA President Mahmoud Abbas to stop making dangerous and provocative statements. Also, Israeli politicians must talk less about the matter, particularly at this time. If this does not happen, the situation will remain precarious. Another attack, another act of revenge, and the whole thing could explode. Jerusalem is not just an issue, it is THE issue. It could lead to the loss of all restraints, allowing crazies on both sides freedom of action. Whoever wants to prevent this must act today, with a tough, but mainly wise, hand. Yoav Limor, IHY, 06.11.14 The Temple Mount and global jihad (…) The most recent excuse for the steady cresce ndo in Muslim violence against the"Zionist enemy" (…) is the desire of Jews to pray on the Temple Mount. Though the holiest site in Judaism, it also houses the Al-Aqsa mosque. This is why it is periodically employed as a propaganda tool to arouse Muslim wrath and international sympathy.(…) The current throwing of rocks, firecrackers and Molotov cocktails that keeps being referred to in the media as a response to one incident or another is no different. It began with the kidnapping and slaughter of three Israeli teens in the summer; it continued throughout Operation Protective Edge in Gaza; and it has been going on unabated since then. The real reason for what the PA threatens will be a third intifada is not one of cause and effect, however. It is not about the Temple Mount. It is not about the addition of Israeli housing or the purchase of apartments by Jews in an Arab section of Jerusalem.(…) No, the root cause is what it always has been: the Muslim aim to wipe out the Jewish state by any and all means available.(…) Ruthie Blum, IHY, 07.11.14 2

Exercise responsibility, not populism (…) Netanyahu has promised that the status quo on the Temple Mount would not change, while other politicians were quick to pledge the opposite. Anyone in their right mind knows these are false promises, made solely to appeal to voters; and that these politicians do not care about the national price their statements might exact.(…) Do they really think Israel should push Jordan to the point where it revokes the 1994 peace treaty not because it wants to, but because it has no choice? Given the rise in Palestinian violence on the Temple Mount, as well as in overall diplomatic hostility toward Israel, one can understand the desire to rectify previous diplomatic errors. Sweden was irresponsible in its decision to recognize a Palestinian state before one has been formed, but I cannot imagine that Netanyahu would back Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's decision to recall Israel's ambassador to Stockholm. Such a move illustrates cheap populism at the expense of Israel's interests. After all, the rest of Europe may follow in Sweden's footsteps and then what?(…) One can only hope Netanyahu orders the ambassador's return without delay.(…) These are sensitive times that require discipline within the coalition.(…) Dan Margalit, IHY, 03.11.14 If you're an Arab, they shoot first Why bother looking into the circumstances of the killing of Khayr al-Din Hamdan of Kafr Kana? Just watching the police officers throwing him, like a sack of onions, onto the floor of the police car after he was mortally wounded says everything about the value of an Arab’s life. The video shows no hesit ation or embarrassment on the part of the ones who took this young man’s life.(…)Where did they put the mortally wounded young man in that cramped space? A likely assumption is that they put him on the floor of the car, at the feet of the police officers who had shot him moments before. From the calm demeanor of the police officers, I assumed that if this had happened in a far-flung, remote place, Hamdan’s fate would have been no different from that of Omar Abu Jariban, who was left bleeding at the side of the road. It is a good thing that there are cameras.(…) Naftali Bennett praised the police o fficers— the one who did the shooting and the ones who did the dragging— not forgetting to label Hamdan a terrorist. That is the first confirmation of killing. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman made the police officers into civilians whose attackers deserve the death penalty— without trial, of course. That is the second confirmation of killing. The prime minister mixed an apocalyptic issue of the destruction of the Jewish state with the issue of the killing of this Arab man. Thus it happens that the incident is equal in severity to the nuclear threat from Iran. And that is the third confirmation of the killing. The nationstate’s senior echelon is girding its loins against the late Khayr al-Din Hamdan and against its Arab citizens in general.(…) When the victim is an Arab, an entire country devotedly protects the murderers.(…) Oudeh Basharat, HAA, 10.11.14 2. Sieg der Republikaner bei der Kongresswahl Der überragende Sieg der Republikaner bei den Kongresswahlen in Washington löste in israelischen Regierungskreisen Genugtuung aus. Die Beziehungen zwischen den verbündeten Staaten erreichten jüngst neue Tiefpunkte. In Jerusalem setzt man nun Hoffnungen auf die Fürsprecher für Israels Position und Ansprechpartner für Netanjahu in Washington, vor allem wenn es um den Iran und um die Palästinenserpolitik geht. What the Midterms mean for America’s Israel Palestine policy (…) What impact will this election have on America’s policy vis-à-vis Israel and the quest for IsraeliPalestinian peace?(…) It depends mainly on Pres ident Obama.” Nothing in yesterday’s election changes that analysis.(…) Doubtless some will a rgue that now, with both the House and Senate in GOP hands, Congress will play a more problematic role. This may turn out to be the case, but the belief that Congress can block any new peace efforts, assuming it wants to, is grounded more in fear than in an understanding of the foreign policy process. (…) It is the president, not Congress, who is in charge of conducting U.S. foreign policy. Congress can try to obstruct him- by refusing to fund his priorities or by passing legislation intended to limit his options(…).U.S. policy vis-à-vis the IsraeliPalestinian conflict will depend first and foremost on President Obama, not Congress – just as it did for the past 6 years. The question to ask, then, is what Obama, not Congress, will do. From the day he took office, Obama has appeared determined to tackle the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.(…) Is Obama ready to plot a more forceful course in the IsraeliPalestinian arena during these last two years in the White House? Many people believe he is – that with his commitment to Middle East peace in mind, and his legacy looming large, he is ready finally to stand 3

up to Netanyahu, restore U.S. credibility and leadership on this issue, and perhaps achieve a breakthrough.(…) Lara Friedman, HAA, 06.11.14 The day after: Obama will have time for Israel and Iran President Obama will escape Washington in a few days to the farthest places from the American capital – China, Burma, and Australia. It was a trip scheduled ahead of time, but the results of the midterm elections prove that the president will not be able to pass meaningful legislation in the US congress in the remaining two years of his presidency, and therefore will now be available to exclusively deal with foreign relations. This is exactly what Bill Clinton did during the second term of his presidency, after the Democrats lost control in both houses of Congress. He invested hours upon hours in an effort to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and wasted much money and time on lawyers against a hostile congress that tried to oust him with an impeachment trial. It is not guaranteed that Obama will want to intensively involve himself in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict when he does not believe he has with whom to work with on both sides.(…) The most import thing the midterms proved is that the Democratic Party returned to be the party of the Clintons, and not of current President Barack Obama.(…) The fight for the presidency essentially began this morning, and Hillary Clinton's mission will be to distance herself as far away as possible from Barack Obama. (…) Yitzhak Benhorin, JED, 06.11.14 Israel should not rely on Republicans´ sympathy (…) There are people in Jerusalem who are wonde ring whether the Republican win in the Senate and in the House of Representatives will ease the tensions, and sometimes hostility, between Israel and administration officials. The majority of the public in the United States, and mainly the politicians in the two houses of Congress, sympathize with Israel. We have also gotten accustomed to believe that the alliance with America is secured, almost automatically: Not just because of interests, but also because of shared core values.(…) Even if Obama finds himself in internal political inferiority in the last two years of his term, the president is not the only one who feels that the Israeli government's current policy is bad for America. Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry and US Ambassador to the UN Samant ha Power feel the same way.(…) Jer usalem, therefore, should not view the Republicans' victory in the Congress simply as an event which might reduce its friction with the US and weakened White House. Israeli risks being perceived by the Democrats, who are currently in a crisis, as an oppositional element which shares their political rivals' joy. This situation may have actually created an opportunity for Jerusalem to recruit the US, with all its political and intellectual camps, to advance an Israeli-American-Arab initiative aimed at changing the face of the Middle East. Leading such an initiative will bring us closer to the Obama administration, which is in need of achievements right now, reduce the friction in the American capital between the two hawkish camps on Israel-related matters, and lessen the influence of poisonous elements which are hostile to Israel. Yossi Shain, JED, 07.11.14 Policies and politics will test US-Israel ties (…) While the Israeli-Palestinian issue is unlikely to be among the president’s top priorities given nume rous other policy challenges, the Republican electoral victories may lead him to believe that his ability to influence domestic legislation is now limited. As such, he may be tempted to focus more on foreign policy, where the executive branch has had more leeway. And since he has just faced the last of three congressional elections during his presidency, Israelis fear he may be more likely to press them now that he is less encumbered by domestic political concerns.(…) i t seems imperative that the Obama administration and Israel work out a smoother modus vivendi, even if the two leaders will never be close. An Israeli delegation reportedly visited the White House earlier this month to discuss the Iran negotiations. Both governments should follow up on these discussions by defining their conceptual and textual differences over the Iran talks and seeing which of the gaps can be bridged before November 24. This may require a U.S. letter of assurance to Israel on key issues that cannot be addressed in the text of nuclear deal with Iran itself. Whatever the case, waiting until after November 24 may be too late. David Makovsky, TOI, 12.11.14 3. Shula Zakens heimliche Telefonmitschnitte Im Korruptionsverfahren gegen den ehemaligen Regierungschef Ehud Olmert hat seine frühere Bürochefin Shula Zaken dem Gericht Mitschnitte von Telefongesprächen vorgelegt, die Olmert schwer 4

belasten. Zaken, die derzeit eine elfmonatige Haftstrafe absitzt, hatte bei früheren Verhandlungen die Aussage verweigert. Sie gab die heimlichen Tonaufzeichnungen nun doch frei, weil sie sich von Olmert betrogen fühlt und durch ihre Kooperationsbereitschaft eine Verminderung ihrer Haftstrafe erwirken konnte. In einem der Telefonate belastet Olmert den früheren Regierungschef Ehud Barak(Arbeitspartei) mit der Feststellung, er habe hohe Bestechungsgelder kassiert. Olmert, Barak and Netanyahu: Israel's inglorious bastards A breach in the wall imposed by the court on the exposure of some of Shula Zaken's recordings allowed Channel 10 to air a conversation in which former prime minister Ehud Olmert makes harsh accusations against former prime minister Ehud Barak. The Channel 10 journalists deserve a friendly punch on the shoulder for their scoop, but the new revelation only added to the feeling of discomfort since the celebration of these tapes began. A man gossips with his former secretary about a political rival. He doesn't base his comments on facts; he has no idea that he is being documented, and that his comments will become common property. So far, while the rumors about the reasons for Barak's swift moneymaking were only rumors, no one thought of seriously demanding an investigation. Barak lived his life comfortably alongside the rumors, and the rumors lived comfortably alongside Barak. They said he had taken a bribe, they said he had Alzheimer's disease. So what if they said? But now there is a tape, so people are expecting the police to launch an investigation. The burden of proof lies on Barak. (…) Olmert and Barak are two sides of a triangle. The third side is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In 14 of the past 18 years, one of these three men served as Israel's prime minister. They are all members of the same generation:(…) Their hedo nism doesn’t amount to the cigars they smoke, the cars they choose or the apartments they buy – it's a trait.(…) If Israeli voters stay away from the polling stations, if they are estranged, suspicious and cynical, these three men share a large part of the blame, both in their actions and in the example they set for others.(…) Nahum Barnea, JED, 11.11.14 Former PM and his bureau chief, talking like two criminals Both those who told themselves until Monday evening that nothing concerning Ehud Olmert could surprise them anymore, that this is who he is, corrupt to the core, and those who until listening to Shula Zaken's recordings couldn’t believe that a former prime minister had reached such a moral low point – both were in for a major shock Monday. The former, because the evidence of alleged corruption is unbearable, and there is nothing like hearing it to prove it. And the latter, because people don't want to believe that such things happen unde r their noses.(…) One can imagine them leaning slightly forwards, so that the passerby would not listen in on the numbers they exchanged between them:$30,000,$50,000, NIS 45,000. And that entire time, the woman is recording the man without his knowledge, getting him to talk, manipulating him to say things that would frame him. While he, on his part, is trying to persuade her not to testify, suggesting versions, presenting horrifying scenarios about investigations which would make her collapse, while she plants in the recording, as if unintentionally, positive evidence about herself, thinking that one day she would use this recording against the man she herself said was like God to her.(…) It's possible that the tapes e xposed on Monday will not get Olmert more legally entangled than he already is, that they won't yield convictions and additional years in prison.(…) But the soundtrack that we heard Monday evening, the State of Israel's soundtrack, should continue echoing in our heads for a long time: A conversation between a former prime minister and his bureau chief, which sounds like a conversation between two criminals. Sima Kadmon, JED, 05.11.14 Zaken's book of revelations (…) If Olmert still, somehow, manages to avoid co nviction in this case, than he is indeed a magician. (…) As far as I am concerned, however, the criminal aspect of Monday's hearing was not as important as the actual nature of the things heard on the tapes. The court, which is usually privy only to the final result of a criminal act, was afforded an unusual glimpse into the prelude of the main event, going behind-the-scenes of the alleged criminal enterprise. This was more than an account of an alleged crime, but one detailing how it came to be; and it was more than a mere conversation between felons, but one that afforded us a unique look into the inner workings of white-collar crime. Olmert has been involved in grave scandals, which were exposes by lucky happenstance. The public is in debt to a long line of public servants, who discovered"Shula's diaries" and the safe hidden in Messer's office, and to Eliad 5

Shraga, head of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, for petitioned the High Court of Justice, asking it to order the State Attorney's Office to pursue a plea bargain with Zaken. The information revealed on Monday, and the information that will surely be exposed in hearings to come, is just as important as the future ruling in Olmert's case. Dan Margalit, IHY, 04.11.14 4. Medienquerschnitt Zum Todestag von Yizhak Rabin Enough with the Rabin memorial rallies (…) The repeated attempts to create a kind of revi val gatherings for the peace camp in Rabin Square is doomed to failure. And it’s the organizers who end up the losers.(…) True, Rabin’s murder was polit ical and must be remembered as such. But nearly two decades later, any self-respecting political camp must stop hanging its hat on the mantra that the country was stolen from it on that November 4, 1995. They stole the country from you? So steal it back!(…) Are a prim e minister slain 19 years ago and a 91-year-old former president really the most powerful ammunition currently in the arsenal of the peace camp, and its hope? And if that’s not enough, there has now been a split among memorial rally organizers. It’s become a farce at this point.(…) Rabin the man, and his murder, can be remembered at state memorial ceremonies, in the education system, and in the media. But his ideological and political legacy has to be translated into ideological and political action. He was a fighter and a man of action.(…) Uri Misgav, HAA, 06.11.14 Preiskontrolle für Grundnahrungsmitteln Price supervision requires more than sending letters (…) There is nothing ostensibly wrong with price controls. They are essential when a single producer has acquired vast market power enabling him to set prices without fear of competition. A price framework can also be considered when there is a temporary shortage of a given product, or when such a shortage is expected. Making price controls possible requires more than a letter to the price committee, however. A considerable mechanism is needed to assume responsibility for checking accounts, the development of input prices, and examination of profit margins. Without all these, it is impossible to decide whether or not to approve a price rise. This mechanism must be capable of distinguishing when the introduction of competition will lead to better results than price controls, for example by permitting imports in competition with local products.(…) It is reasonable to assume that Lapid will have problems implementing and paying for his initiative.(…) All in all, it's simpler, and also much cheaper, to make declarations, wait for the headlines, and then continue as if nothing had happened. Avi Temkin, GLO, 05.11.14 EU-Außenbeauftragte Mogherini in Israel From Gaza to Catalonia: Europe’s insufferable hypocrisy This past Saturday, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini set a world record for diplomatic duplicity and haste. Barely seven days after assuming her new post, the former Italian foreign minister rushed to pay a visit to Gaza and Ramallah, where she managed to call for the division of Jerusalem, denounce housing construction for Jews in Judea and Samaria, and insist on the establishment of a Palestinian state.(…) Dead Syrians may be littering the streets of Aleppo while Islamic State is busy beheading Kurds and Christians in Iraq, and Saudi women might be struggling to be allowed to drive cars, but Mogherini appears to have a onetrack mind when it comes to the Middle East. And it revolves only around Israel. This is European hypocrisy of the highest order. It is sickening in its scope and magnitude. And it is time for it to stop. As the continent where more Jewish blood was spilled over the past 2,000 years than any other, Europe has a special responsibility and a moral obligation to support Israel.(…) I’d like to think that the new Europ ean push to recognize a Palestinian state stems from naiveté, from some misguided belief that doing so will somehow dull the threat posed by Islamic extremism. Or that perhaps they are simply wallowing in ignorance and truly believe the Palestinians to be the aggrieved party in the conflict with Israel. But I know better(…). The hypocrisy is so egregious and so blatant that it cannot and must not be ignored. Sadly, what we are witnessing now is little more than a continuation of Europe’s mistreatment of the Jews, but with a new twist. After all, for 2,000 years, Europeans told the Jews to le ave and“go to Israel.” Now that we are finally here they want us to abandon it and hand it over to our foes.(…) Michael Freund, JPO, 10.11.14 6

Zehn Jahre nach dem Tod von Yassir Arafat Arafat – ten years later (…) Just nine days before Arafat's death, on November 2, 2004, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan ‎ died. Zayed's death was not greeted with the global mourning, nor with the ‎ ceremonies and speeches at the United Nations that Arafat got. This is grotesque, because ‎ he was the father of his country, the United Arab Emirates, and a model of sober, responsible, constructive ‎ leadership.(…) Arafat provides another model: charismatic to be sure, but ‎ also violent, corrupt, destructive leadership that created the political mess in which ‎ Palestinians live today. When he had a great chance for peace, a chance to create a ‎ Palestinian state at Camp David in 2000, he said no.(…) Under him ‎ the Palestine Liberation Organization was an ingredient in widespread violence in both Jordan and Lebanon. After the ‎ Israeli victory in 1967, civic life began to grow in the West Bank and Gaza. Roughly 700 nongovernmental organizations were formed, the economy grew, and a far better future seemed possible. But after ‎ Arafat returned to rule in 1994, he crushed that civic life, made a mockery of the new ‎ Palestinian legislature that had been formed, and substituted a corrupt dictatorship.(…) It's impossible to prove that had Palestinians had a different leader-- someone like Nelson ‎ Mandela or Sheikh Zayed, who wanted to build states that would assure a decent life for ‎ their people-- today there would be an independent and responsible Palestinian state. But ‎ it's easy to see what Arafat wrought, and Palestinians sadly continue to suffer from his years ‎ in power. Ten years after Arafat's death, his historic"contribution" seems even more awful ‎ than it did in 2004. ‎ Elliot Abrams, IHY, 09.11.14 Debatte über ein Verbot politischer Gratiszeitungen Media comment: Freely a free press (…) A legislative initiative, titled in the best Orwellian fashion as“The Law for the Furtherance and Prote ction of the Press,” is making its way through the Knesset chambers.(…) The bill seeks to obligate the state to prevent the publication of a daily newspaper for free if it has a wide rea dership.(…) The bill obviously and blatantly targets one newspaper, Israel Hayom.(…) The internal contradiction of the present law is further compounded by the fact that it will mainly benefit Yediot Aharonot. This newspaper empire achieved its dominant role when, in the 1960s, it engaged in massive free distribution in order to successfully challenge its then leading competitor, the powerful Ma’ariv newspaper. Why would parliamentarians act to recreate a media monopoly and why would right-wing MKs assist an antiright-wing conglomerate to reestablish its rule over public opinion?(…) Free newspapers are a fixture in our societies.(…) The sad conclusion is that the proposed law has little to do with lofty ideals such as freedom of the press, but everything to do with petty, small-minded and short-sighted thinking on the part of right-wing politicians. They have a fantastic record of destroying rightwing causes and furthering those of the Left. This bill, if passed, will be another in a string of these“successes.”(…) Yisrael Medad und Eli Pollak, JPO, 12.11.14 Militärischer Abwehrdienst und Shin Bet streiten über Gazakrieg Juvenile pursuit of credit (…) In April, the Shin Bet warned that Hamas i ntended to carry out a strategic attack via tunnels in the Kerem Shalom area that could have included attacking nearby Israeli communities or the abduction of soldiers. Had such an attack occurred and succeeded, it would have likely led to an immediate escalation. As far as the Shin Bet was concerned, that was the warning; as far as the IDF was concerned, that was a terrorist plan to thwart. The truth is that both sides are doing a disservice-- to the profession and to reality. In an effort to excel, the IDF and the Shin Bet are"reverse engineering" history: The Shin Bet is building up its warning, while military intelligence is playing it down. Self-criticism is not exactly the intelligence community's strong suit. It turns out: The operation was a huge success and intelligence-- the main victor. In a system that operates like it should, the two organization heads would have long sat down with one another and patched the whole thing up.(…) In light of the cu rrent mayhem in the West Bank and Jerusalem, as well as the unrest in Gaza and in the north, it would behoove the IDF and Shin Bet to set their egos and the competition for credit aside and focus on their jobs.(…) The bad blood that has polled has become to great an obstacle for an impromptu meeting to fix. It is time for the person in charge to take hold of situation with clear action. With all due respect to the personal honor of all those involved, our security is a bit more important. Yoav Limor, IHY, 13.11.14 7

HAA= Haaretz JED= JediothAhronoth/ Ynetnews JPO= Jerusalem Post IHY= Israel HaYom TOI= Times of Israel GLO= Globes Veröffentlicht im: Oktober 2014 Verantwortlich: Dr. Werner Puschra, Leiter der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Israel Redaktion: Susanne Knaul Judith Stelmach Homepage: www.fes.org.il Email: fes@fes.org.il 8