Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 08/12 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 30. April – 15. Mai 2012 1. Nationale Einheitsregierung Israel hatte sich bereits auf Neuwahlen Anfang September eingestellt, da überraschten Premiermi­nister Benjamin Netanyahu und Shaul Mofaz, Vor­sitzender der größten Oppositionspartei Kadima, mit der Ankündigung, dass Kadima der Regierungskoa­lition beitreten wird und der Bildung einer nationalen Einheitsregierung. Damit verfügt Netanyahu nun über eine Mehrheit von 94 von 120 Sitzen in der Knesset, so viele kein Premierminister zuvor. Mofaz erhielt das Amt des Vize-Premiers, verfügt aber über kein eigenes Ressort. Neuwahlen hätten allen Vo­raussagen nach deutliche Verluste für Kadima be­deutet. Netanyahu, king of Israel „By st riking the kind of deal he struck with Shaul Mofaz of Kadima, the deal of his life, the prime min­ister has put himself out of the reach of his party's right wing, out of the reach of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's machinations, out of the reach of Shas' extortions, and out of the reach of U.S. President Barack Obama. He has also buried Yair Lapid, who must now go back and have a hard think about his next move. Netanyahu is also out of the reach of(...) the opposition, which together makes up no more than 25 Knesset mandates. That's not even enough MKs to force Netanyahu to appear at a Knesset hearing to defend his government's poli­cies. Without any real opposition to his government, and without a quarrelsome coalition to worry about, Netanyahu has put himself beyond anyone's reach. He has, in essence, become Israel's king, the su­preme leader.(...) no Israeli prime minister has been a supreme leader before.“ IHY, Amir Mizroch, 8.5.2012 Lapid and Yachimovich are the losers „On the personal level, Mofaz is the big winner in this move. He has given Kadima another balloon of oxygen.(...) he is their indisputable king.(…) Neta n­yahu has succeeded in getting out of elections that he didn't really want and to neutralize Labor and Lapid, his future rivals. Netanyahu is now all power­ful in the Knesset. There is an opposition of less than 30 MKs – a majority that even David Ben Gurion never enjoyed. Even if social protesters take to the streets in the summer, they won't be heard in the Knesset.(…) We have got s tronger and learned he said at today's press conference. Bibi from the mid 90s is not the Netanyahu of 2012. Labor party chairperson MK Shelly Yachimovich(...) is also a big loser from the national unity govern­ment. She becomes leader of the opposition with just 26 MKs.“ GLO, Lilach Weissman, 8.5.2012 Israel’s disgraceful alliance „While for Netanyahu the PR damage is a slight blow, in Mofaz’s case we are dealing with a freefall into a mountain. Who would dare believe the man who just crushed what was left of his integ­rity for a single ministerial post without portfolio and the postponement of his electoral demise?(...) What significance would any agenda to ever be presented by Mofaz or members of the unclear party that drags behind him hold? Yet this is not only about Kadima. If there is one thing that Israelis can learn from the new, disgraceful alliance between Netanyahu and Mofaz, it is this: We must sober up from our centrist dream.(…) many Israelis fantasize about(and then vote for) a nice political Center that would aim to secure everything without shaking up anything or angering anyone. Yet the successful scheme early Tuesday is the ultimate proof of the infeasibility of this imaginary notion of “Center.” JED, Ziv Lenchner, 8.5.2012 1