Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 18/15 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 16. – 30. September Die Themen dieser Ausgabe 1. Netanyahu berät mit Putin über Syrien............................................................................................................ 1 2. Krawalle in Jerusalem...................................................................................................................................... 3 3. UN-Vollversammlung....................................................................................................................................... 5 4. Medienquerschnitt............................................................................................................................................ 6 1. Netanyahu berät mit Putin über Syrien Die verstärkte militärische Präsenz Russlands in Syrien stand im Mittelpunkt der Reise von Regie­rungschef Benjamin Netanyahu nach Moskau. Prä­sident Vladimir Putin beteuerte, dass die Aufrüstung einzig dem Zweck diene, die Terrorvereinigung ISIS zu bekämpfen. Satellitenbilder aus der Region Lata­kia lassen Geheimdienstler indes vermuten, Moskau errichte Militärstützpunkte. In Jerusalem besteht Sorge vor der Kooperation zwischen Russland und Iran und damit auch der Stärkung der libanesisch­schiitischen Hisbollah, die Teheran finanziert. In Konsequenz der neuen russischen Militärpräsenz in Syrien könnte es für Israel künftig schwerer sein, Angriffe auf Waffenlieferungen an die Hisbollah zu fliegen. Angesichts des verstärkten Engagements der russischen Führung wächst die Kritik gegen die Haltung von US-Präsident Barack Obama in der Syrien-Frage. Risk and opportunity Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to grab the bull by its horns and(…) visit Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, is the right call(…). Israel's concern over Islamic State's rise to prominence has taken a back seat to its con­cern over the establishment of"Little Syria," which would supposedly be controlled by Assad but in actuality be under the thumb of Iran and Hezbollah. Even more disconcerting is everyone in this Little Syria-- Assad, Hezbollah and Iran-- enjoying the safety of the Russian umbrella. The Americans could also help this materialize, because similar to their policies in Iraq they are liable to sacrifice cer­tain principles for the sake of fighting Islamic State, and even come to terms with Iranian and Hezbollah forces battling the Sunni group on Syrian soil.(...) The Russian presence(…) provides an opportunity, perhaps as a force of restraint in Syria. After all, Assad needs Putin no less than he needs Iran and Hezbollah. Putin, not the Iranians, is the one capa­ble of curbing any initiative or decision against Syria in the international arena, and he is also the only one who can deter the West from such an attempt. Moreover, as opposed to Iran and Hezbollah, Putin has no intention of ruling Syria and altering its makeup, for example by enforcing Iran's brand of Shiism on the country's Alawite and other citizens. All Putin wants is to advance his interests and en­sure he maintains his military strongholds, and from this perspective he is more comfortable than Assad to work with.(…) Eyal Zisser, IHY, 21.09.15 Good to have Kremlin on speed dial (…) Russia cannot afford itself another Afghanistan, but it needs to take action in Syria as a bargaining chip against the West. To be effective Moscow needs to fight the Islamic State group and the Nusra Front(al-Qaida's Syria branch), and by doing so it can enjoy the best of both worlds: global support for fighting ISIS and keeping Assad in power. The pres­ident of the United States, Barack Obama, still has­n't decided what to do, if anything.(…) The Syrian 1