Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 04/13 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 13.- 24. Februar 2013 1. Kontroverse um Geheimgefangenen "Prisoner X" Der australische Fernsehsender ABC machte einen Fall öffentlich, der seit Wochen für Aufmerksamkeit in den israelischen Medien sorgt: 2010 erhängte sich in einem israelischen Gefängnis Ben Zygier, ein Mossad-Agent mit australischer und israelischer Staatsbürgerschaft. Über den Grund seiner Inhaftie­rung gibt es nur Mutmaßungen, allerdings scheint wahrscheinlich, dass er seine Tätigkeiten nicht aus­reichend geheim gehalten hatte. Er wurde auch in Verbindung mit einer Krise in den Beziehungen beider Länder gebracht, nachdem israelische Agen­ten sich offenbar australische Pässe verschafft hatten. Aufmerksamkeit erhielt der Fall nun, weil die Isolationshaft Zygiers – bis dahin"Prisoner X" ge­nannt – in Israel strengster Geheimhaltung unterlag. Auch nach der Veröffentlichung in Australien war die israelische Presse zunächst an eine Nachrichten­sperre gebunden, die in Israel kontrovers diskutiert wird, jedoch bei Themen mit Sicherheitsbezug nicht selten ist. Dial 1-800-4Mossad "From the legal standpoint, it seems the Mossad conducted itself impeccably[…], whereas its PR in the case was, to say the least, unsettling.[…] Prisoner X received legal counsel from at least four different attorneys; his case was presented in front of a court of law, eventually in front of the Supreme Court; his family received word of his incarceration and Jerusalem updated Canberra at the outset of the affair.[…] These facts pulled the rug out from under all the detractors[but][…] it happened too l ate.[…] I am far from saying that the Mossad ought to di­vulge its undercover operations.[…] Hiring a spokesperson does not imply that news stations will be flooded with press releases. What it means is that when the Mossad needs media consultation, it can receive the best in this field." Aharon Lapidot, IHY 18.02.13 Some secrets are meant to be kept "The State of Israel still has plenty of secrets that should be kept.[…] And no, this doesn’t make Israel a dark regime or a dictatorship.[…] The only thing that is more important to me than the public’s right to know, freedom of information and democracy, is the very existence of our country.[…] Therefore,[…] I agree that when the publication of a specific item would constitute a real danger to na­tion al security, to people’s lives or to the country’s vital foreign relations, it is preferable that the item not be published." Ben Caspit, JPO 14.02.13 Time to break the censorship rules "Israeli censorship laws are well outdated and just plain wrong. First, from an effectiveness standpoint, the over­zealous censorship measures are outdated and even counter- effective.[…] It seems that the gag order had in fact the reverse effect. It generated even more attention towards the case[…]. Transparency in such a case would be strength, not weakness. Here again, the cover-up just makes it all much worse and gives the impression that the State is trying to hide a mistake.[…] Brave Israeli MKs should challenge the censorship system and break it, and not fear being tagged as 'harming Israeli security' or treasonous. National security is not just an issue of physical defense. Our values upon which we would like to mold Israel are also of the utmost importance to our security." Mati Gil, TOI 13.02.13 Things more sacred than public proceedings "Is democracy severely compromised when a man is held in prison under a fictitious name? Not if doing 1