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ISRAEL FEARS COMPLETE ISOLATION
by Ulrike Putz
Spiegel Online International
September 12, 2011 Monday 6:48 PM GMT+1
Germany
SOFTENING STANCE AFTER SETBACKS
Israel's relations with Turkey are ruined, the Palestinians plan to
seek UN recognition for their own state, the embassy in Cairo was
stormed: Jerusalem is under massive pressure. Even hard-line Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is starting to sound conciliatory.;
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,785845,00.html
Is Jerusalem softening its hard-line stance? After weeks of
confrontation with friend and foe alike, Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu chose unusually conciliatory words in thanking the Egyptian
government for its help during the storm by Egyptian protesters on
the Israeli embassy in Cairo on Friday night.
During the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on Sunday, Netanyahu
praised the Egyptian security forces for rescuing six Israeli
diplomats and security guards who had been under siege in the embassy
building for hours. He continued with warm words for the Egyptian
ruling military council, saying: "I am glad that there are also other
voices in Egypt and in the leadership who want to bring forward and
preserve peace."
Earlier, the government had accused the Egyptian security forces and
the military leadership of failing to do enough to protect the Israeli
embassy staff. Over the weekend, high-ranking government officials
in Jerusalem had expressed outrage that Israel had to get United
States President Barack Obama to intervene with Cairo to trigger a
commando-rescue operation that averted a lynching of six security
guards. By Monday, though, such talk had ceased.
Serious Setbacks
If Netanyahu is now backing down, it is because the situation is
serious. Very serious. The Israelis are no strangers to crisis,
but they will remember the last few weeks for a long time. Rarely
has the Jewish state suffered so many setbacks and blows as this month:
On Sept. 1, pro-Palestinian activists in London interrupted a
performance by the Israeli Symphony Orchesta so vehemently that the
BBC had to break off its broadcast of the concert for the first time
in its history.
On Sept. 6, it became known that former US Defense Secretary Robert
Gates had described Netanyahu as "ungrateful" in a meeting of the
National Security Council. By refusing to acknowledge Israel's growing
isolation, Netanyahu was endangering his country, Gates said. The fact
that Gates' comments became public and weren't contradicted by the US
government suggest that they were a semi-official message to Jerusalem.
The dispute between Turkey and Israel over Israel's refusal to
apologize for the deaths of nine Turkish activists in a 2010 Israeli
raid on a Turkish boat carrying aid for Gaza culminated last week
when Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador, cancelled its military
cooperation with Jerusalem and announced it would provide military
protection for Turkish ships heading to Gaza in the future. Israeli
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman retorted that Israel would cooperate
closely in the future with Kurds and Armenians, traditional opponents
of Turkey.
The Palestinian leadership has vowed to seek full United Nations
membership for a Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank
at the UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 20. Attempts by the
European Union and the US to persuade Ramallah to refrain from such
a move, by offering them the prospect of fresh peace negotiations,
have so far failed to dissuade the Palestinians.
On Friday night, thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the
Israeli embassy in Cairo, tore a hole in the surrounding wall, stormed
part of the building and held six Israelis under siege for hours. All
embassy staff had been evacuated, and only one official was left in
the building at the time. Israeli's most important representation in
the Arab world is effectively closed now.
Given these crises, Netanyahu is wise to try to calm the waters. For
weeks, Israeli politicians and analysts have been warning that Israel's
hard-line stance is causing irreparable damage to its reputation
among Arabs and in the West. Criticism of the government is especially
strong in the security services: the military intelligence service,
the domestic intelligence service Shin Bet and the foreign secret
service Mossad have repeatedly called on the government in recent weeks
to resume talks with the Palestinians in order to ease tensions and
lessen international anger toward Israel, the daily Haaretz reported.
Call for Change in Policy
Defense Minister Ehud Barak, a long-time opponent of Netanyahu,
is leading calls for a change in policy. According to Haaretz ,
Barak told fellow cabinet ministers that if Israel fails to try to
move the peace process forward, it will be seen as obstructionist by
its friends in the West.
Israeli President Shimon Peres is also reported to have urged
Netanyahu to change his stance on the Palestinians, Israel's Army
Radio reported. Peres is said to have personally called on Netanyahu
to adopt a "softer" position in the upcoming UN vote on a Palestinian
state. Israel fears a blow to its reputation if such a state were to
be recognized. It would also face possible legal consequences if a
Palestinian state were able to seek prosecutions at the International
Criminal Court more easily.
But even if Netanyahu has decided to take the wind out of the
Palestinians' sails by making compromise offers, it's doubtful
whether he will be able to stay the course. He leads a right-wing
coalition in which some members have already made clear they
won't back a policy of reconciliation. Netanyahu had only just
made his comments praising Egypt when members of his cabinet began
sounding confrontational again. If the Palestinians dare to seek UN
recognition for a Palestinian state, Israel must annex the West Bank,
four ministers from various right-wing parties demanded.
by Ulrike Putz
Spiegel Online International
September 12, 2011 Monday 6:48 PM GMT+1
Germany
SOFTENING STANCE AFTER SETBACKS
Israel's relations with Turkey are ruined, the Palestinians plan to
seek UN recognition for their own state, the embassy in Cairo was
stormed: Jerusalem is under massive pressure. Even hard-line Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is starting to sound conciliatory.;
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,785845,00.html
Is Jerusalem softening its hard-line stance? After weeks of
confrontation with friend and foe alike, Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu chose unusually conciliatory words in thanking the Egyptian
government for its help during the storm by Egyptian protesters on
the Israeli embassy in Cairo on Friday night.
During the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on Sunday, Netanyahu
praised the Egyptian security forces for rescuing six Israeli
diplomats and security guards who had been under siege in the embassy
building for hours. He continued with warm words for the Egyptian
ruling military council, saying: "I am glad that there are also other
voices in Egypt and in the leadership who want to bring forward and
preserve peace."
Earlier, the government had accused the Egyptian security forces and
the military leadership of failing to do enough to protect the Israeli
embassy staff. Over the weekend, high-ranking government officials
in Jerusalem had expressed outrage that Israel had to get United
States President Barack Obama to intervene with Cairo to trigger a
commando-rescue operation that averted a lynching of six security
guards. By Monday, though, such talk had ceased.
Serious Setbacks
If Netanyahu is now backing down, it is because the situation is
serious. Very serious. The Israelis are no strangers to crisis,
but they will remember the last few weeks for a long time. Rarely
has the Jewish state suffered so many setbacks and blows as this month:
On Sept. 1, pro-Palestinian activists in London interrupted a
performance by the Israeli Symphony Orchesta so vehemently that the
BBC had to break off its broadcast of the concert for the first time
in its history.
On Sept. 6, it became known that former US Defense Secretary Robert
Gates had described Netanyahu as "ungrateful" in a meeting of the
National Security Council. By refusing to acknowledge Israel's growing
isolation, Netanyahu was endangering his country, Gates said. The fact
that Gates' comments became public and weren't contradicted by the US
government suggest that they were a semi-official message to Jerusalem.
The dispute between Turkey and Israel over Israel's refusal to
apologize for the deaths of nine Turkish activists in a 2010 Israeli
raid on a Turkish boat carrying aid for Gaza culminated last week
when Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador, cancelled its military
cooperation with Jerusalem and announced it would provide military
protection for Turkish ships heading to Gaza in the future. Israeli
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman retorted that Israel would cooperate
closely in the future with Kurds and Armenians, traditional opponents
of Turkey.
The Palestinian leadership has vowed to seek full United Nations
membership for a Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank
at the UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 20. Attempts by the
European Union and the US to persuade Ramallah to refrain from such
a move, by offering them the prospect of fresh peace negotiations,
have so far failed to dissuade the Palestinians.
On Friday night, thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the
Israeli embassy in Cairo, tore a hole in the surrounding wall, stormed
part of the building and held six Israelis under siege for hours. All
embassy staff had been evacuated, and only one official was left in
the building at the time. Israeli's most important representation in
the Arab world is effectively closed now.
Given these crises, Netanyahu is wise to try to calm the waters. For
weeks, Israeli politicians and analysts have been warning that Israel's
hard-line stance is causing irreparable damage to its reputation
among Arabs and in the West. Criticism of the government is especially
strong in the security services: the military intelligence service,
the domestic intelligence service Shin Bet and the foreign secret
service Mossad have repeatedly called on the government in recent weeks
to resume talks with the Palestinians in order to ease tensions and
lessen international anger toward Israel, the daily Haaretz reported.
Call for Change in Policy
Defense Minister Ehud Barak, a long-time opponent of Netanyahu,
is leading calls for a change in policy. According to Haaretz ,
Barak told fellow cabinet ministers that if Israel fails to try to
move the peace process forward, it will be seen as obstructionist by
its friends in the West.
Israeli President Shimon Peres is also reported to have urged
Netanyahu to change his stance on the Palestinians, Israel's Army
Radio reported. Peres is said to have personally called on Netanyahu
to adopt a "softer" position in the upcoming UN vote on a Palestinian
state. Israel fears a blow to its reputation if such a state were to
be recognized. It would also face possible legal consequences if a
Palestinian state were able to seek prosecutions at the International
Criminal Court more easily.
But even if Netanyahu has decided to take the wind out of the
Palestinians' sails by making compromise offers, it's doubtful
whether he will be able to stay the course. He leads a right-wing
coalition in which some members have already made clear they
won't back a policy of reconciliation. Netanyahu had only just
made his comments praising Egypt when members of his cabinet began
sounding confrontational again. If the Palestinians dare to seek UN
recognition for a Palestinian state, Israel must annex the West Bank,
four ministers from various right-wing parties demanded.