Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 13/13 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 03. – 16. Juli 2013 1. Umsturz in Ägypten Mohammed Morsi, erster demokratisch gewählter Präsident Ägyptens, ist vom ägyptischen Militär am 3. Juli aus dem Amt geputscht worden. Ein Jahr nach seinem Amtsantritt hatten die schwierige wirt­schaftliche Lage des Landes sowie fortschreitende Einschränkungen für Medien, das Justizsystem und andere demokratische Einrichtungen zu Massen­demonstrationen gegen Morsi und seine Muslim Bruderschaft geführt. Seitdem ist es immer wieder zu blutigen Ausschreitungen gekommen, bei denen es viele Tote gegeben hat. In Israel äußerte sich die Regierung nicht offiziell zu den Ereignissen im Nachbarland. Allerdings ist klar, dass ein instabiles Ägypten ein hohes Gefahrenpo­tential bedeutet. Andererseits hat Israel stets beste Beziehungen zum ägyptischen Militär besessen, das nun an der Macht ist. Fraglich bleibt, wie die USA sich zukünftig gegenüber Ägypten verhalten werden. Laut US-Gesetz muss Staaten, in denen demokra­tisch gewählte Regierungen vom Militär gestürzt werden, jegliche Finanzhilfe verwehrt werden. The price of tyranny "Behind the anger lurks the great gap between the life you wanted to live and reality. That's what is generating the wave of global protests. And since in Egypt the gap between expectations and reality is huge, the consequences are even more serious.[…] Morsi did not recognize minority rights and the limits of power. He was not ready to make concessions or form alliances with secular parties. He passed an Islamist constitution and oppressed the legal sys­tem, academia and the media.[…] The result was that Egypt suffered two financially disastrous years. Tourism collapsed, investors fled and wealthy Egyptians began to smuggle their for­tunes abroad.[…] These problems can't be solved in two or three years, but no one has the patience to wait even a year. After all, any ruler who would dare cut the budget or reduce subsidies on food and fuel would face demonstrations by millions and be toppled.[…] Egypt is poised to pay a heavy price for the tyranni­cal Islamic regime that stole the revolution of 2011, overthrew Hosni Mubarak but also toppled itself and took all of Egypt with it." Nehemia Shtrasler, HAA 12.07.13 A new dawn on the Nile? ”If the millions of Egyptians who demonstrated in the streets demanding the ouster of the Morsi regime triumph, it could herald normalcy for their country and perhaps also for major parts of the entire region. The role played by the army in the upheaval, though much criticized abroad, may actually have paved the road toward eventually establishing[…] democratic rule.[…] All things considered, the possible demise of Islam­ism as the major political force in at least parts of the Arab world could eventually lead to a more secular, down-to-earth and less dogmatic and intolerant attitude on the part of our neighbors also to peace and to the Jewish state – and also on the plus side, it could weaken Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood’s local kid brother." Zalman Shoval, JPO 10.07.13 We'll miss Morsi when he's gone "The year Morsi has been in office has not harmed Israeli-Egyptian relatio ns. Quite the contrary.[…] Under Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood did the un­thinkable when it affirmed the Camp David peace accords with Israel.[…] Over the past year, under Morsi's rule, the army has been sent on more focused and forceful operations against Al-Qaida elements that have taken over parts of the peninsula, and more importantly for 1