Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 15/12 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 13. – 30. August 2012 1. Ägyptischer Militärrat Präsident schwächt Der ägyptische Präsident Mohammed Morsi hat seine Machtposition deutlich ausgebaut. Als Reaktion auf den Terrorangriff auf ägyptische Grenzsoldaten im Sinai hat er Verteidigungsminister Hussein Tantawi sowie Generalstabschef Sami Annan entlassen und vom Militärrat eingeführte Verfassungsänderungen aufgehoben. Damit ist die Armee, zu der Israel bisher gute Beziehungen unterhalten hatte, als Akteur in der ägyptischen Politik geschwächt worden. Obwohl Israel auf eine Befriedung des Sinais hofft, wird die Aufstockung von ägyptischen Truppen auf der Halbinsel genau beobachtet. Laut Friedens­vertrag müssen solche Aufstockungen mit Israel koordiniert werden. In einem Interview hatte Morsi versichert, den Friedensvertrag mit Israel aufrechterhalten zu wollen. Der israelische Außenminister Avigdor Lieberman forderte Morsi indes auf, Israel zu besuchen, sollte es ihm ernst mit dem Frieden sein. Rebuilding the pyramid “The revolution started by[…] Morsi when he dismissed his country's entire military leadership on Sunday, is surprising, dramatic and deeply profound. Perhaps even more so than the revolution that began on January 25, 2011, which toppled Hosni Mubarak and his regime.[…] For Israel, the dramatic measures taken by Morsi do not change much. Indeed, it was assumed that it would happen eventually. For now, Morsi does not have any other alternative but to maintain the peace treaty with Israel. It is possible that his commitment to the peace treaty offers it more legitimacy than it had during Mubarak's rule or while Tantawi was in power.” Eyal Zisser, IHY 13.08.12 Egypt’s transformation “The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, headed by Tantawi, was supposed to restrain the Muslim Brotherhood and ensure the continued enforcement of the Egypt-Israel peace treaty. Now Morsy faces no major internal challengers. Egypt’s decision to move tanks and aircraft into the Sinai Peninsula without notifying Israel for the first time since the Yom Kippur War – in an apparent violation of the peace accords – appears to be the direct result of an unrestrained Muslim Brotherhood leadership.” JPO 21.08.12 Editorial Morsy’s moves “Morsy and the Muslim Brotherhood have now emerged as the true victors of last year’s Tahrir Square uprising. They wield power in parliament and now in the military too. Their next move is expected to be the drafting of a new constitution. For the sake of the Egyptian people, let us hope that this paves the way for a democratic regime, and not another autocratic one. Morsy has pledged to honor Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel and to help revive the regional peace process, and we expect him to keep his word.[…] This is surely the time[…] for Israel to attempt to normalize relations with Morsy’s Egypt after a long period of a cold peace under his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak.” JPO 13.08.12 Editorial In Morsi's hands “The precedent of changing the peace agreement could be used by Egypt to justify future violations of the agreement by claiming that the recent changes annulled the agreement's validity.[…] After Morsi, who has already said that he rejects all ‘Western solutions,’ fully utilizes economic and security benefits from the‘heretic’ West, his 1