Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 05/11 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 21. Februar – 06. März 2011 1. Libyen Auch in Israel werden die Geschehnisse in Libyen mit großer Aufmerksamkeit verfolgt. In dem nordafrikanischen Staat hatten Bürger Mitte Februar mit Demonstrationen gegen den Despoten Muammar Gaddafi begonnen. Im Gegensatz zu anderen arabischen Herrschern geht Gaddafi jedoch mit äußerster Gewalt gegen die Demonstranten vor. Inzwischen herrscht Bürgerkrieg in Libyen. In Israel werden diese Entwicklungen mit einer gewissen Genugtuung beobachtet. Zum einen, weil Libyen in UN-Gremien immer wieder Resolutionen gegen Israel eingebracht hatte. Zum anderen, weil die westliche Welt auf Grund ökonomischer Interessen eine Politik der doppelten Standards gegenüber Libyen betrieb. Kritisiert wurde außerdem eine Delegation von arabisch­israelischen Politikern, die im April 2010 Libyen besucht hatte. Gaddafi hatte dabei Investitionen im arabischen Sektor in Israel versprochen. The Gaddafi disgrace "Muammar Gaddafi has become the symbol of the hypocrisy of the world.[…] Despite all of[his] subversive activities against Western targets, the international community somehow accepted Libya in various influential forums, and forgave Gaddafi for past transgressions, somehow believing that a'new' Gaddafi had appeared on the scene from the 1990s onward. How is it that Gaddafi's Libya[…] was elected to chair the United Nations Human Rights Commission in 2003 and was again elected to serve on the commission in 2010?[…] Today, the world is abhorred by Gaddafi's actions against his own people. However, for years the world stood silent as a serial human rights abuser and a terrorist-supporting regime.[…] Have we no shame?" David Altman, JED 24.02.11 While Libya burns "The possibility that Libya will break up into its constituent parts into its tribes, its clans, and its regions- is not a fabrication of Saif al Islam Gaddafi, the ruler's eldest son.[…] Libya has no real national tradition. Its sole collective experience, important though it was, came 80 years ago, in an uprising against the colonial ruler, Italy.[…] A failed country of this size, in this part of the world, and with such huge oil wealth, is liable to endanger the Mediterranean and Europe." Yoav Karni, GLO 24.02.11 Don't interfere in Libya "There is no doubt that Western military interference in favor of the Libyan people[…] is the type of noble idea that appeals to our hearts.[…] The dynamics are familiar: The NATO forces who will invade[…] and the country will be conquered quickly.[…] Two or three months after the dust settles, the United States will discover that it is caught in a swamp that would make Americans long for Iran and Afghanistan.[…] At most, we are dealing with a violent gang of tribal leaders, each one of whom aspires to become the next Gaddafi. In democratic elections, if and when such elections are held, the head of the largest tribe shall win.[...] This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to offer help, yet this time we can do it in a different way- without tanks and fighter jets, but rather, using other, quieter means: Funding and supporting resistance groups, or formulating a secret proposal that would ensure the future of Gaddafi and his loved ones in exchange for his quiet departure." Yakir Elkariv, JED 23.02.11 Stop Gaddafi now "Stop him now, immediately, with full force, before it’s too late.[…] The world’s silence in the face of the massacre is horrifying. Everyone saw the horrific images, yet it 1