Barak in Egypt II

Weiterhin schlägt der gestrige Besuch des israelischen Verteidigungsministers Barak in Ägypten hohe Wellen. Als konkretes Verhandlungsergebnis wird die Bildung eines gemeinsamen Sicherheitsteams zur besseren Bekämpfung des Schmuggels von Waffen in den Gazastreifen durch AP bestätigt, wobei ein dort verbreiteter technologischer und geheimdienstinformeller Transfer von Israel nach Ägypten mehr als fragwürdig erscheint. Die Ägypter möchten [mal wieder] mehr Polizei an der Grenze einsetzen. Thats all. Von irgendwelchen realen Projekten wie einer sicheren Grenzanlage, oder dem berühmten Bruggraben als Grenze, aber auch herzlich wenig über wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit ist die Rede. In den Kernfragen, einer Verbesserung der diplomatischen Beziehungen und eine stärkere Beteiligung der Ägypter in der Sanktionsfront gegen die Hamas gibt es keinerlei Annäherung. [Amos Harel, "Defense Minister Ehud Barak's visit here yesterday could have been entitled: "After Tzipi." Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni demonstrated a shocking lack of caution on Tuesday when she dared to speak the truth about Egypt's job performance in preventing weapons smuggling from Sinai into Gaza ("terrible and problematic"). The Egyptians were insulted to the depths of their souls - and Barak found himself in a rare position: The defense minister suddenly became the "good Israeli" in Arab eyes. The fact that Barak privately agrees with Livni changes nothing."] Meine Theorie bleibt: Die Kadima-Fraktion hat dem defense-minister die Show versaut um seinem innenpolitischen Aufstreben einen Dämpfer zu verpassen. Normalerweise wird Livni bei ihren Ausfällen und Alleingängen durch die Kadima-Technokraten zurück gepfiffen und erhält ab und an einen Maulkorb. Man schweigt dieses Mal vornehm und erhebt Livni über die Ankündigung eines Besuchs in Moskau in etwa drei Wochen in Sachen iranischem Atomwaffenprogramm zur Chefunterhändlerin nach dem die Sanktiongebrüllfront in der post-NIE-Berichtzeit zusammengebrochen ist. Worum es bei all dem Geträllere interner Eitelkeiten eigentlich geht ist längst klar: "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's expressed refusal to resign following the upcoming publication of the final Winograd committee report on the Second Lebanon War has focused renewed attention on the fault lines within Olmert's main coalition partner, the Labor Party. Voices from within the faction are calling on Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who vowed during his campaign for party chairmanship to pull the party out of the government upon the report's release, to follow through on his pledge." Die Zeit für Barak ist reif eine Entscheidung zu treffen. Geht er aus der Regierung wird es Neuwahlen mit absehbarer Koalition Avoda-Likud geben. Nachteilig für den Königsmörder Barak ist das er auch hier nur die zweite Geige spielen darf. Livni zeigte ihm mit der "ägyptischen Rochade" was ihn in diesem Fall erwartet. Da Israel weiterhin ein Land unter Sicherheitsphobie ist sind andere Wahlkampfthemen als zB die Lage in Sderot kaum zugfähig um die No1 zu werden. Verbleibt er in der Koalition ist die Gefahr groß das er mit ihr unter geht, wie es schon seinem Vormann Peretz erging. Nun hat aber auch Barak sich nicht sonderlich im Bereich der Reformen der Avoda hervor getan. "The Labor Party must come to its senses and understand that it's not just another party," Pines-Paz said. "It has to lead and to create alternatives. If the party continues to be dragged along by others, if it says one thing and does the opposite on a number of issues, it will simply disappear because it will have outlived its usefulness." "This is the Labor Party's biggest test," Pines-Paz told Army Radio. "At the moment of truth, is it ready to pay the price for its beliefs, its promises, its obligations?"

Die weiteren Spekulation über den Besuch sind ... nur noch Spekulation: During his trip to Egypt Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has succeed in forwarding a deal between Israel and the captors of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit on Thursday after seven months without a breakthrough. Egyptian mediators convinced Israeli authorities to release 200 long-term Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are leaders in Palestinian military organizations. ++++ Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak presented Defense Minister Ehud Barak with a full plan to bring Syria and Israel back to the negotiating table, United Arab Emirates newspaper Al-Bayan reported Thursday morning. The plan, shown to the minister during their Wednesday meeting, calls for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights. The withdrawal of Israel from the Golan would be implemented over the course of 10 to 15 years after which American, Russian and Egyptian troops would be deployed, said the report.

Derzeit recht intensive Aktivitäten an den Kriegsfronten. Einige Mörsergranatenangriffe und Qassam-Abschüsse. Die al-Aqsa-Brigaden berichten von einem Toten in ihren Reihen. Die Fatah verhaftet dreizehn Hamas-Mitglieder in der Westbank [Austesten der Lage]. + Israel Defense Forces troops on Thursday captured two top members of the Islamic Jihad militant group in raids in the West Bank, Palestinian security sources and witnesses said. IDF troops arrested an Islamic Jihad leader, Mohammad Assayda, near the West Bank city of Nablus, the militant group said. Assayda, who was released from Israeli jail in September, is a lecturer at al-Najah University. Islamic Jihad commander in the West Bank city of Jenin, Samer al-Saadi was captured in a separate raid in a refugee camp in the city, a Palestinian security officer told Reuters. Troops arrested 20 Palestinian militants overnight in West Bank raids.

Security sources told Haaretz on Wednesday that as Turkey steps up its offensive operations against the rebel Kurdish forces operating in northern Iraq, there is increased suspicion in the Turkish government and its defense establishment toward the United States and Israel over the issue. According to the same sources, Turkey is following "very closely" every step and statement made by Israel and fears that Jerusalem is not supporting it in its action against the Kurds to the degree that it expects.

The Welfare Ministry announced Thursday that it would allocate NIS 400 million as part of a plan to aid at-risk youth with an emphasis placed on reaching out to Arab children. According to the initiative, 32 percent of the youth who will receive aid are from the Arab sector. The plan also stipulates that local Arab municipalities will be exempt from funding the program. [Naja, 24 Millionen €. Hm.]

Aluf Benn, "Hamas test of responsibility": Hezbollah has never recognized Israel or agreements with it, has not stopped using violence, and continues to get stronger and acquire rockets. Nevertheless, the situation in the North reminds us of the time before the Second Lebanon War. A balance of fear on both sides of the border between Hezbollah's long-range rockets and the Israel Air Force's firepower guarantees calm even without diplomatic agreements.

Amira Hass, "The rigth to explode in anger": The negotiations over the future of our land, from the sea to the river, and the two peoples living in it, are proceeding along two parallel channels. It has been that way since the Madrid and Oslo talks for 17 years now. One channel is between the Palestinians and Israelis - such as Tuesday's meeting in Jerusalem between chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. The other is being conducted between the Israelis and themselves. Will the only genuine point of contact between these two channels be another explosion of blood, as occurred in 1996 and 2000?

Congratulations! Effi Eitam has finally decided to change his name.
Before: Effi from the National Religious Zionist Renewal Party, which ran as part of the National Union-National Religious Party in the last election.
Now: Effi from Ahi. [:-)))))))] [Ahi - so ungefähr "mein Bruder"]

The eleventh parliamentary session to elect a new president in Lebanon looks likely to be postponed until January next year, with the opposition rejecting the Cabinet's recent passage of a draft bill to amend the Constitution and calling the move a provocation. MP Ali Bazzi from Speaker Nabih Berri's Development and Liberation bloc, said the session, scheduled to take place on Saturday, could well be postponed. [next year? Das ist aber etwas sehr optimistisch]