Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 01/13 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 13. Dezember 2012 – 14. Januar 2013 1. Wahlausschlussverfahren gegen MK Hanin Zoabi Hanin Zoabi, Mitglied der arabischen Partei Balad, ist die erste weibliche arabische Abgeordnete in der isarelischen Knesset. Im Vorfeld der für den 22. 01.2013 stattfindenden Neuwahlen wurde sie jedoch von der Zentralen Wahlkommission disqualifiziert. Ihr war vorgeworfen worden, den"bewaffneten Kampf gegen Israel" zu befürworten. Insbesondere wurde sie wegen ihrer Teilnahme an der"Gaza­Flotille" kritisiert, die 2010 die Seeblockade des Gazastreifens zu durchbrechen versuchte. Die Ent­scheidung der Wahlkommission, die sich mit 19 zu 9 Stimmen und einer Enthaltung für die Disqualifizie­rung aussprach, wurde jedoch vom Obersten Ge­richtshof aufgehoben. In der Vergangenheit waren arabische Parteien wiederholt disqualifiziert worden, jedoch jedes Mal vom Obersten Gericht zur Wahl zugelassen worden. Balad hatte einen Wahlboykott angekündigt, sollte Zoabis Disqualifizierung nicht aufgehoben werden. The Zoabi test "The real test of a democracy is its ability to allow room for the expression of irregular, aggravating, critical positions, including those that seemingly undermine democracy itself.[…] By contrast, a state that grasps the excuse of'defensive democracy' in order to stifle political opponents isn't worthy of being called a democracy.[…] Overturning Zuabi's disqualification would not just be a course correction for a democracy that has gone off-course, but a test of the High Court's ability to be a defensive barrier for its loyalists against those who take potshots at it." HAA 30.12.12 Editorial Cover-up led to anti-Zoabi campaign "The request to disqualify[…] Zoabi[…] raises ser i­ous questions regarding the easiness in which an Arab Knesset member can be delegitimized and demonized – to the point where she is branded a terrorist.[…] The investigation conducted by the attorney general, who watched footage from the Mavi Marmara, con­cluded that there was no evidence indicating that Zoabi was involved in the violence that transpired when Israeli commandoes raided the Turkish vessel. […] But the attorney general did not disclose these findings to the government.[…] The Zoabi affair must concern the entire public, which did not receive relevant information from the law enforcement agencies. What should concern us most is the possibility that these agencies did not speak up for fear of criticism from the political estab­lish ment.[…] The attorney general should have acted more re­sponsibly and declared that MK Zoabi was not in­volved in any illicit activity. Such a statement would have possibly hurt his popularity a bit, but it could have prevented a two-year incitement and demon­ization campaign against an elected official." Sawsan Zaher, JED 03.01.13 An Arab-free Knesset? "Zoabi has taken part in terrorism against Israel.[…] And still, I hereby recommend that the Central Elec­tions Committee reject the efforts to disqualify her. […] There are two reasons for this: One is that for most Israeli citizens, there is no point in distorting the picture. If the reality is that some part, or even a majority, of Israel's Arabs want to be represented in the Knesset by a candidate who is affiliated with terror, there is no point in burying our heads in the sand.[…] The other, main reason is that this move to disqualify Zoabi and the Arab parties will cause unprecedented damage to Israel's image in the West, right at the most sensitive time. Israel's ene­mies are trying to sabotage its status as the only democracy in the Middle East, and such a move can 1