Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 02/12 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 09. – 22. Januar 2012 1. Prominente wechseln in die Po­litik In den letzten Wochen haben mehrere israelische Prominente ihren Wechsel in die Politik angekün­digt. Darunter sind Noam Shalit, der Vater des für fünf Jahre im Gazastreifen festgehaltenen Soldaten Gilad Shalit, der durch die weltweite Kampagne für die Freilassung seines Sohnes bekannt geworden war, sowie Karnit Goldwasser, die Witwe eines im Libanon gefallenen Soldaten. Außerdem kündigte der populäre Journalist, Autor und Medienstar Yair Lapid die Gründung einer neuen Partei an. Dieser Schritt folgte auf eine Gesetzesinitiative in der Knesset, die Medienvertretern eine mehrmonatige Pause vor einem Wechsel in die Politik auferlegen würde. Lapid gilt als"Mann der Mitte", der sich für soziale Reformen zugunsten der Mittelschicht ein­setzt. Während Shalit für die Arbeitspartei in den Wahlkampf ziehen will, schloss sich Goldwasser dem Team um Lapid an. The braggart and the introvert "In light of the dissatisfaction with politicians, a knight on a white horse has arrived to save Israel from itself.[…] But he[…] talks about everything in the world but has never said anything interesting or original.[…] One must ask what Lapid brings to politics that gives him the skills to make decisions about the country's fate.[…] Lapid has[…] never said what he thinks about any of the burning ques­tions Israel must decide on- negotiations with the Palestinians, the fate of the settlers, dealing with Europe and the Arab world, relations with the United States, the Iranian threat, and Israel's economic and social structure." Shlomo Avineri, HAA 11.01.12 Lapid making a mistake "Our political system is in dire need of fresh faces and new ideas. Lapid's apparent decision to run at the head of a new party, however, will only serve to further entrench the current political reality in Israel. […] What is needed instead is for talented people, like Lapid, to strengthen the existing parties. The only coalition that will be able to reach a new 'grand bargain' in Israeli society and implement real long-term change is one that is based on Labor, Kadima, and the Likud.[…] If Lapid were to join any of these existing parties, it is likely that they would be significantly streng­thened, allowing a more stable central block to take shape in the Knesset. This would much more accu­rately reflect the wishes of Israeli society than the reality that exists in our parliament today." Elie Bennett, JED 12.01.12 Kadima's fate lies in Lapid's hands "His rumored plans[are] to establish a new centrist political party that seeks to change the electoral system and get the ultra-Orthodox sector into the workforce. If Lapid chooses to follow this path and lead his own party, polls show that rather than hurting[…] Neta­nyahu's Right-religious bloc – the very bloc Lapid aspires to defeat- it will propel the Right to another firm victory in the Knesset. A new Lapid party would only add to the muddle of parties on the Left, further splitting the Center-Left bloc, and enabling the Likud to become the strong­est force by far in the Knesset.[…] He will bring about many medium-sized parties – everyone will have 15 mandates... these parties will face a large Likud party with Lieberman, which will always win." Michal Toiba, IHY 15.01.12 1