Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 08/10 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 04. – 16. Mai 2010 1. Friedensgespräche Nachdem der palästinensische Präsident Mahmoud Abbas die Zustimmung der PLO erhalten hat, sind Israel und die Palästinensische Autonomiebehörde nach monatelangem Verhandlungsstillstand nun bereit, indirekte Friedensgespräche unter Vermittlung der USA aufzunehmen. Die Gespräche, die mit Hilfe des US-Nahostgesandten George Mitchell geführt werden, sind zunächst auf vier Monate beschränkt. Doch schon vor Beginn der Gespräche zeigten sich israelische Regierung und palästinensische Führung wenig optimistisch. In Israel kritisierte Verteidigungsminister Ehud Barak andere Kabinettsmitglieder, sie würden mit ihren Äußerungen den Friedensprozess gefährden. Dies galt unter anderem Außenminister Avigdor Lieberman, der zuvor verneint hatte, dass es einen Baustopp in Ostjerusalem gebe und behauptete, alle Gesten Israels seien von den Palästinensern„mit einem Schlag ins Gesicht“ beantwortet worden. Not taking listener requests “The proximity talks will break the ice that has been clogging up the Israeli-Palestinian track for over a year. Regrettably, the good news was received in Jerusalem with a demonstrative chill and a lowering of the already modest expectations that the talks will bring peace any closer.[…] It's no wonder that[…] the Palestinians interested in negotiations do not believe that Netanyahu and his government intend to make progress toward a final­status agreement. The sourness with which the government is anticipating the talks was expressed in the decision to present to the cabinet[…] a Palestinian „incitement index‟[…]. Now that acts of violence have almost entirely disappeared, the(justified) criticism of incitement has taken the lead in the diversionary war that some senior ministers are waging against the peace process.” HAA 06.05.10 Editorial Proximity talks are off… and crawling “ It is bad enough that each side has its own extremists who want to scuttle the talks, but when their own leaders look like they‟re not on board, it‟s time to bring out the worry beads.[…] The Palestinians have imposed a four-month deadline on the talks, claiming that is the extent of their mandate from the Arab League. For all their talk of wanting peace, none of the parties seems to feel any sense of urgency.[…] Peace is more important to the US than to Abbas and Netanyahu, neither of whom appears willing or ready to make the tough historic compromises essential to closing the wide gaps between them. The two are so far apart on the core issues that it is difficult to image they can make significant progress.” Douglas Bloomfield, JPO 12.05.10 Doomed to fail “ For the Americans, if Israeli-Palestinian talks have been going on for 17 years now, the negotiations obviously aim at securing a final-status agreement. On the other hand, Israel and the Palestinians have been engaged in talks for two wholly different goals. The first objective is maintaining a process for the sake of the process. For Israel, the ongoing process mitigates the international pressure exerted on us; for the Palestinian leadership, the process is the main justification for the continued rule of the veteran leadership.[…] The second objective of both Israelis and Palestinians is to ensure that when the current round of talks fails, the other side will be blamed for it.” Giora Eiland, JED 05.04.10 Optimism is also an option “ Both Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas know what compromises they will be required to make. 1