Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 08/09 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 26. April – 14. Mai 2009 1. Israel und die Obama-Administration Dass Präsident Shimon Peres sich noch vor Premierminister Benjamin Netanyahu mit dem amerikanischen Präsidenten Barack Obama trifft, wird im Allgemeinen dahingehend gewer­tet, dass der im Ausland sehr geschätzte Peres den Boden für Netanyahus Besuch vorbereiten soll. Es wird erwartet, dass die Obama-Admi­nistration eine für Israel weit weniger bequeme Stellung beziehen wird als die vorherigen amerikanischen Regierungen. Netanyahu wird Zugeständnisse machen müssen, die ihm und seiner Regierung schwer fallen werden, um die für Israel so wichtigen guten Beziehungen zu den USA aufrecht zu erhalten. No such thing as a free lunch “As an experienced diplomat and statesman, Netanyahu knows there is no free lunch in poli­tics. He should listen to Clinton and not come to Washington with empty hands. Instead of de­mands and naysaying, which will be met by American opposition, he should convey a clear commitment to the two-state solution, support the Arab peace initiative as the basis of a re­gional agreement, halt settlement expansion and engage in efforts to strengthen the Palestin­ian economy. This is the only way that Netanyahu can mobilize the support of the in­ternational community for his main goal – stop­ping the Iranian threat.” Editorial, HAA, 27.04.09 PM Netanyahu’s tank “The fact that is visible to all, that is, Obama already met regional leaders and will meet Peres before he will meet Netanyahu, points to one possibility: Netanyahu is greatly debating on the diplomatic plan he wishes to present to the US president.[…] He has overcome, a long time ago, the arrogance that prompted him to try to convince everyone, including the Ameri­can president, that his way is the right way. In addition, Obama conveyed very clear hints regarding his intentions and plans, and to Netanyahu’s credit, he understands the new winds blowing through the White House’s corri­dors. In this respect, President Peres’ journey to the White House is similar to a tank making way for the troops behind him through a minefield. The experienced and wise Peres is the intro­duction to Netanyahu’s visit.[…] The American president shall be‘pleasantly surprised’(or some kind of a similar expression) by Netanyahu’s peace intentions.” Eitan Haber, JED, 04.05.09 Good cop, bad cop “The Mideastern issue is high on the agenda of US foreign policy makers: Obama has been speaking about peace in the Middle East since his first day in the White House, and has ap­pointed a special envoy for the region a day after Clinton stepped into the State Department. […] Obama and Peres had a 15-minute tête-á-tête and nobody really knows what was said during the conversation. Netanyahu hopes to find out. He was the one who asked Peres to be a sort of 1