Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 16/11 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 28. August – 12. September 2011 1. Krise zwischen Israel und der Türkei Nach der Veröffentlichung eines UN-Berichts zur Mavi Marmara-Affäre, bei der die israelische Armee neun Türken an Bord eines Protestschiffes auf dem Weg nach Gaza getötet hatte, hat sich die Krise zwischen Israel und der Türkei vertieft. Die von dem ehemaligen neuseeländischen Premierminister Geoffrey Palmer geführte Untersuchungskommission warf Israel"exzessive Gewalt" vor, erklärte die Seeblockade des Gazastreifens jedoch für legitim und kritisierte die türkische Regierung, die die GazaFlottille nicht verhindert habe. Nachdem Israel sich weigert, eine offizielle Entschuldigung abzugeben und lediglich sein Bedauern ausdrückte, reagierte die Türkei nun mit einer Reihe von Sanktionen: Israelische Diplomaten wurden des Landes verwiesen, verteidigungsrelevante Handelsabkommen zwischen Israel und der Türkei wurden ausgesetzt. Außerdem kündigte der türkische Premierminister Recep Tayyip Erdogan verstärkte Patrouillen der türkischen Marine im Mittelmeer an. Breaking up is hard to do "The results of the UN Palmer Report[…] have driven another nail into the coffin that is TurkishIsraeli relations.[…] Both sides have conflicting narratives regarding the root causes of the split. Israeli experts point the finger at[…] Erdogan, and the AKP’s Muslim roots, as the source of recent strife. Turks counter that it has been Israel’s growing belligerence towards the Palestinians that is to blame.[…] So what really went wrong with the relationship? After decades of playing a quieter role in the Middle East, Turkey decided to reengage with the region, particularly with its Arab neighbors.[…] What now mattered most to Turkey was economic stability and the development of superpower status, which it aimed to accomplish by making peace with its traditional rivals. However, Turkey’s'zero problems' approach has experienced significant setbacks adjusting to the Arab Spring, and its relationship with Israel has suffered as a result." Gabriell Mitchell, JPO 07.09.11 Erdogan has engineered crisis in relations "In the Turkish matter,[Netanyahu] has acted as sanely and logically as possible.[…] Erdoğan, began raging against Israel even before the Mavi Marmara affair, and it is important to remember this.[…] For Erdoğan, Israel is not a pra ctical matter, but a radical Islamic one. […] Erdoğan looks and sounds like the man who is planning for a crisis.[…] If Erdoğan really wanted an apology, he would have asked for it in a completely different style. When he sets ultimatums, when he expels an ambassador[…], when he abuses and curses us- it is not merely humiliation, it is proof that the man is a radical Islamist. There is no point is crying about lost interests. That is unquestionably a shame, but these interests were not lost on the Mavi Marmara, and not because of Netanyahu, but on the day that Erdoğan rose to power." Matti Golan, GLO 06.09.11 Erdogan the hypocrite " An apology,[…] lifting the Gaza blockade, and Israeli acquiescence to an international probe – these were the Turkish demands.[…] Now, after their hopes were dashed, with the international committee that the Turks so much wanted failing to meet Turkey’s incredibly impudent demands[…], Erdogan has no option left but to raise the bar of threats and sanctions." Shaul Rosenfeld, JED 07.09.11 Turkey no great power "Instead of restraint and sound judgment, as one would expect from the leader of a great power, Erdogan resorts to impassioned zeal and makes threats as if he was the neighborhood thug.[…] 1

Nonetheless, the State of Israel should aim to restore the ties, mostly because Turkey is important for the US, which is important to us.[…] Hence, it is very important not to place Washington in a situation where it’s torn between its obligations to its two Mideastern allies. As a trustworthy, strategic ally, Israel now needs to lower its profile and minimize the damages if possible. However, Israel should not be apologizing and should firmly stand up to legal and diplomatic challenges every time Erdogan slams them in our face.[…] Ron Ben-Yishai, JED 06.09.11 The world according to Turkey "There is some room for optimism that relations might improve, even if recent days have brought us a further deterioration. Turkey and Israel must cooperate in light of events in the region, particularly the volatile situation in Syria. Assuming that President Bashar Assad's regime falls, both sides have an interest in ending Iran's influence in Syria. It is also safe to assume that the U.S. will urge its two main allies to reconcile, throwing its full weight behind the effort. One can only hope for a formula that will allow both sides to get what they want, even if right now both parties appear to be perched on a precarious ledge." Michael Nizri, IHY 07.09.11 Waiting for Ankara " The Palmer Report[…] provided an unprecedented UN- backed justification for Israel’s naval blockade – first put in place in the wake of Hamas’s violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007.[…] These findings clash with Turkey’s claim that the blockade should be considered illegal collective punishment. They also undermine Ankara’s justific ation for demanding that Israel lift the blockade as a condition for re- normalizing relations.[…] The Pa lmer Report’s findings clearly find fault with Turkey for implicitly supporting the flotilla.[…] Yet, in a supreme act of chutzpah, it is Turkey – not Israel – that is now using the Palmer Report to justify a series of actions meant to hurt relations between the two countries.[…] As long as Ankara adopts a bellicose approach apparently aimed at riding the wave of anti-Israel sentiment so prevalent in the region, there is not much Jerusalem can do to facilitate rapprochement – except to stick to its position and wait for a change in Turkish diplomacy." JPO 04.09.11 Editorial A way out of the crisis with Turkey "As expected, the Palmer Report[…] didn't satisfy either Israel or Turkey, although it did give each of them partial satisfaction.[…][It] also provided Israel with a lead at an effort to end the affair[…] through an expression of regret- not an apology- and the payment of compensation to the families.[…] The Israeli military establishment actually supported such a formula, and for a time it appeared that[…] Netanyahu, too, was inclined to that approach. He was swept up in considerations involving his coalition government, however, and the language of prestige and honor that inform Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's positions. This played into the hands of extremists in Ankara." Shlomo Avineri, HAA 04.09.11 Turkish red alert "The crisis in relations with Turkey is a red alert of the attacks we're in for on the diplomatic, security and economic fronts. When Turkey called its ambassador home, it showed the way for the ambassadors of Egypt and Jordan in Israel, and that's just the beginning." Akiva Eldar, HAA 05.09.11 2. Soziale Proteste Nach sechs Wochen anhaltender Proteste gegen hohe Lebenshaltungskosten und mangelnde Sozialprogramme demonstrierten am Abend des 3. September nochmals etwa 450,000 Israelis im ganzen Land. Dennoch hat die Protestbewegung seitdem an Schlagkraft verloren. Sicherheitsthemen dominieren wieder verstärkt die Schlagzeilen. Die Zeltstädte in Israels Innenstädten, mit denen gegen hohe Wohnungskosten protestiert worden war, sind größtenteils abgebaut und teilweise auch durch die Polizei geräumt worden. Die Führer der Bewegung, darunter Vertreter der Nationalen Studentenunion, kündigten jedoch an, die Proteste mit anderen Mitteln weiterführen zu wollen . Israel's new people "The new people who came out to State Square Saturday night are no longer invisible. They came to say that they are unhappy, that it cannot go on like this, and that all the attempts to make them disappear again won’t work.[…] Last night, the new people came out to squares all across the nation and told their government:'We are here, we are 2

unhappy, and we got the power. If you don’t do anything about it, we intend to use it.'” Yair Lapid, JED 04.09.11 The goal: Reinstating Left power "Professional leftists knew they couldn't play the politics card, calling politicians responsible for the demise of the country. What's left then? The economy, stupid. Who wouldn't get out and protest in favor of lower prices,'social justice' and a variety of other demands? With calculated cynicism-- and with confidence that the media would follow them all the way to the end-- they exploited the unsuspecting masses in a purported effort to attain goals that are[...] far from social justice.[…] The'new Israelis' are actually the Israelis of yesteryear. They are seeking to reinstate Israel's old establishment to the exclusive policy-making circle-to the circle they were democratically voted out of by the nation." Dror Eydar, IHY 04.09.11 The loss of youth "My high appreciation and admiration of this new spirit in Israel is offset by and equally disappointed with the lack of vision demonstrated by these young people regarding the issue of peace with our Arab neighbors.[…] They amplified the Israeli dream for consensus, for the middle ground, for being a party in the center. The ultimate Israeli political fantasy (more correctly myth) is that the center is the best place on the map.[…] In Israel today those who believe in peace with our neighbors as something more than empty rhetoric are extremists. Those of us who believe that we cannot speak about social justice while we have systemic inequality between Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel are extremists." Gershon Baskin, JPO 05.09.11 Social sensitivity and responsibility "Some of the protest leaders are not satisfied with reducing taxes[…]. They need to understand that the call for changing the national budget and increasing direct taxes is the absolute opposite of social justice. Why? Because breaking the budget would lead to the immediate downgrading of Israel's economic ranking and the withdrawal of foreign investments. […] What the Israeli economy currently needs is balance. We cannot follow the teachings of American economist Milton Friedman, who advocated a complete lack of government involvement in the economy. And we certainly won't return to the Soviet economic model, which was controlled completely by the government and was the least social and just. There is a middle path between these two approaches: Social sensitivity coupled with a free economy." Ofir Akunis, IHY 04.09.11 The tycoons' moment "Responsibility cannot be allowed to fall on the young protesters alone. The much greater share falls on Israel's business community, to which successive governments have catered.[…] They have people whose example they can follow. The legendary Warren Buffett fired the opening shot, and this week, a group of the highest earners in France[…] published a petition entitled'Tax us!'[…] They thereby confirmed the economic thesis that has recently gained prominence in Europe: that huge deficits are not the result of excessive government spending, but of insufficient income, which […] weakens the state's ability to provide services. […] But in Israel, aside from occasional expressions of 'solidarity' with the protest for PR purposes, the tycoons[…] have yet to utter a single responsible peep. The time has come for them to do so." Avirama Golan, HAA 31.08.11 Tackling the causes of the protests "In order to deal effectively with the high cost of housing(and high living costs in general) in Israel, we need to understand the underlying factors. Three core elements the tax system, regulation and competition, and living beyond one’s means must be fully addressed.[…] [One] element underlying the current problem is not to do with government or civil servants, but rather with the citizens. I mean the well-known phenomenon that has unfortunately become prevalent in Israel, that people live beyond their means.[…] It is not the government’s prob lem, but a matter at the individual level that becomes collective over time, and has important consequences for the economic, social and political systems. What government has to do is to make rules that prevent, for instance, banks from giving salaried employees extensive credit lines." Abraham Carmeli, GLO 07.09.11 We're not really free "It appears that the mainstream agrees that the debate is over different legitimate economic me3

thods, and is'merely' a matter of taste and worldview. The time has come, therefore, to say that the economic method that Benjamin Netanyahu and the Tea Party crowd love, which aspires to an entirely'free' market, trickle down economics and zero regulation, is illegitimate.[…] Growth remains in the hands of the wealthy few who were gifted it; it does not trickle down. The majority keeps earning less and is compelled to spend more to get by, and millions live in poverty even though they are working in essential jobs.[…] An economic method that knowingly creates inequality and exploitation cannot be considered legitimate. […] A leader who is unable to understand what economic method is needed cannot be a legitimate leader." Merav Michaeli, HAA 29.08.11 3. Stürmung der israelischen Botschaft in Kairo In Kairo stürmten am 9. September tausende Demonstranten das Gebäude der israelischen Botschaft. Die Unruhen folgten auf eine Krise in den ägyptisch-israelischen Beziehungen, nachdem mehrere ägyptische Polizisten nach einem Anschlag in Grenznähe von der israelischen Armee irrtümlich getötet worden waren. Während der Botschafter und 80 weitere Israelis außer Landes geflogen wurden, blieben sechs Wachleute in den Botschaftsräumen verbarrikadiert, wo sie nach Stunden von ägyptischen Sicherheitskräften gerettet wurden. Zuvor hatte Premierminister Benjamin Netanyahu US-Präsident Barack Obama um Hilfe gebeten, der Druck auf die Ägypter ausübte. Sowohl Israel als auch Ägypten betonten nach den Vorfällen, dass der Friedensvertrag zwischen den beiden Ländern bestehen bleibe. In Ägypten wurden die Notstandsgesetze, die nach Hosni Mubaraks Fall ausgesetzt worden waren, wieder aktiviert. Wann und ob der israelische Botschafter nach Kairo zurückkehren wird, blieb jedoch offen. Obama, do us a favor "Netanyahu[…] rushed[…] to ask US President Barack Obama to do him a favor and rescue the six Israeli security guards besieged in our Cairo embassy.[…] The phone call between Netanyahu and Obama unequivocally demonstrated Israel’s existe ntial dependence on America.[…] The peace treaty between Israel and Egypt was signed on the White House lawn in 1979 and was premised on the realization that the US will also be a partner and guarantor that the agreement would be honored, even if Egypt’s regime changes.[…] The Egyptian leadership also cannot afford to disappoint Washington. After 30 years of generous American assistance via weapons and economic aid […], Cairo will not be foregoing the peace treaty with Israel. After all, it’s a package deal: Ongoing aid hinges on the peace agreement." Shimon Shiffer, JED 11.09.11 Keep the peace "The siege of the embassy hardly bodes well for the future of Israeli- Egyptian relations.[…] Understandably, there is widespread discontent among Egyptians who have come to the realization that the enormous energies channeled through Tahrir Square have so far failed to yield tangible improvements. But instead of venting their frustrations on Israel and endangering the fragile peace that helps bring stability to the region, Egyptians should instead focus on the myriad challenges that lie ahead for them as they make the transition to the post- Mubarak era." JPO 12.09.11 Editorial The writing was on the wall "The events that transpired were predictable.[…] Whatever the immediate reasons for the embassy attack, it is clear that there are deeper currents underneath the protest that found an outlet at the Israeli Embassy in Cairo. The Egyptian revolution […] has in many ways reached a dead end. Egypt's economic situation continues to deteriorate, security has yet to be returned to the streets, and most importantly, the road to elections and democracy remains ridden with obstacles. At times like these, there is nothing easier than to return the focus to Israel, the lowest common denominator for Egyptian political forces to rally against." Eyal Zisser, IHY 11.09.11 Peace treaty trouble "It is important to remember that the Sinai is in Egypt’s hands precise ly because of the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt[…].[…] The peace treaty […] obligates Egypt to secure Sinai with a limited troop presence while keeping it demilitarized.[…] Barak hopes that the treaty can be salvaged by amending the demilitariza tion clauses.[…] But mo difying the treaty to appease popular anti- Israel sen4

timent could open a Pandora’s box of demands on Israel.[…] Moreover, any viable Israeli deal with the Palestinian faction led by Mahmoud Abbas would require the demilitarization of the West Bank. What signal would backtracking on the demilitarization of Sinai send to the Palestinians? If the treaty with Egypt must be gutted in order to save it, something may be terribly wrong with the underlying land-for-peace approach." Elliot Jager, JPO 11.09.11 Crossing the line "Most of the country's protest organizations, including the Muslim Brotherhood, did not take part in the incident that has placed the government and the Supreme Military Council in a domestic and international crisis.[…] The impression is that the regime[…] is genuinely in trouble.[…] The government[…] may now be forced to use violence against demonstrators in order to prove its authority. The protest movements fear just such a move, which is why they began to spread the rumor on Saturday that supporters of the ousted President Hosni Mubarak and his regime had engineered the provocation in order to damage the revolution's image.[…] As a result, the security of the Israeli embassy in Cairo has, paradoxically, become a test for the relationship between the revolution and the regime." Ari Shavit, HAA 11.09.11 Arab spring myth exposed "What we saw in Egypt over the weekend was merely the beginning. Much worse is yet to come.[…] While Egypt’s misfortune may hold grave regional and global implications, the first to pay the price for this tragedy will be ordinary Egyptians.[…] The failure to predict the Arab Spring’s grim ou tcome is a huge fiasco, especially as the ensuing calamity should have been patently clear to anyone with minimal understanding of our volatile region. Yet as is often the case, many in Europe and America chose to put their trust in empty words and cheerful notions completely detached from reality, while dismissing common sense and the Arab world’s history and tradition. They too will be paying the price sooner or later." Yigal Walt, JED 11.09.11 The price of Cast Lead "Israel attacked Gaza in Operation Cast Lead. Now it is eating the bitter fruit of that operation, which was the turning point in the attitude of the world and the region toward Israel and its belligerent and violent policies.[…] The outcome: The only two countries that ever accepted it in the region, Turkey and Egypt, are burning their relations with Israel.[…] In the new Egypt the street speaks, and the street had its violent and unequivocal say over the weekend. This is the street that had practically nothing against Israel during the Tahrir uprising in the spring, but after the killing of the five soldiers, Israel's lack of apology for doing so and the Turkish fiasco, it is coming out against Israel now. The street saw the brutal scenes from Operation Cast Lead not shown in Israel, and they became enemies, more than ever.[…] A very dangerous fire broke out in the[Israeli embassy].[…] The original sin: Operation Cast Lead." Gideon Levy, HAA 11.09.11 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 den 10. Jahrestag der Anschläge vom 11. September : Americans don't get it "In the weeks after the 9/11 attacks, Americans were mostly stunned. Up until that moment they were certain that every person in the world understands that they’re right,[…] and that their democracy is the only way to bring freedom to human beings.[…] They failed to grasp that not all people want freedom, that not all people want democracy, that not all people just want a nice car and a house to live in, and that not all people think that God is someone who invites you to a friendly meeting every Sunday before the barbeque. It was so illogical, that I’m not sure they get it even today." Yair Lapid, JED 11.09.11 The lost decade "Even ten years on, it's hard to know what Bin Laden expected when he attacked the Twin Towers. If 5

he was trying to distance the West from Arab countries, he has achieved the opposite. But whoever tried to say that Bin Laden failed, is also far from the truth. America of 2011 is more frightened, weaker, more economically fragile, with less space to maneuver in the world.[…] A decade ago the U.S. became a country at war, with no clearly defined enemy.[…] It is[…] an injured and weakened superpower, as a result of the evil and extremism on the one hand, and the unwise decisions of its leadership on the other. When future historians look for the beginning of the weakening of the new world, they will be forced to admit that it began on September 11, 2001." Yossi Beilin, IHY 11.09.11 Über äthiopisch-stämmige Schüler , die bisher in einer eigenen Schule unterrichtet wurden, und denen die Aufnahme in andere Schulen verweigert wurde: Admit them, and now "For several years now Ner Etzion's entire student body has been of Ethiopian origin. The existence of this'Ethiopian ghetto' has served the other religious schools in Petah Tikva, which did not have to take on the challenge of admitting the immigrants.[…] The city's private educational institutions refused to admit students of Ethiopian origin.[…] The Educ ation Ministry and the city of Petah Tikva must solve the Ner Etzion crisis together, immediately. Its students, who have been sentenced to remain at home until some school deigns to admit them, will carry the memory of this rejection as a formative experience of their attempt to be accepted into Israeli society." HAA 07.09.11 Editorial 'We didn't come here to live in ghettos' "It's not pleasant to see a shuttered school, but it is testimony to the drama that has played out within and without its walls- an Israeli drama of racism and feelings of discrimination, of Ethiopians being shunted aside and concentrated in black neighborhoods with black schools." Gideon Levy, HAA 06.09.11 HAA= Haaretz JED= Jedioth Ahronoth JPO= Jerusalem Post GLO= Globes IHY= Israel HaYom Veröffentlicht: 15. September 2011 Verantwortlich: Dr. Ralf Hexel, Leiter der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Israel Redaktion: Maike Harel Helene Kortländer Homepage: www.fes.org.il Email: fes@fes.org.il 6