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What's Erdogan's Hang-Up With The Palestinians?

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  • What's Erdogan's Hang-Up With The Palestinians?

    WHAT'S ERDOGAN'S HANG-UP WITH THE PALESTINIANS?
    By Amikam Nachmani

    Ha'aretz
    http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/sp ages/1060816.html
    Feb 2 2009
    Israel

    What moved Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to take up the
    mantle as Israel's leading critic in the aftermath of Operation Cast
    Lead? Is this a matter of a personal affront, in that Prime Minister
    Ehud Olmert, who visited Ankara just days before the operation,
    did not warn the Turks of what was to come?

    Israel's former ambassador to Ankara, Zvi Elpeleg, once cautioned that
    Turkey is about as sensitive about the Palestinian issue as it is about
    the Armenian issue. Millions of people in Turkey take no interest in
    what is happening beyond their borders, with one exception: Palestine.

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    Turkish concerns for the Palestinians are deeply rooted. Their
    misery, say the Turks, began during the Ottoman era of sovereignty
    in Palestine. The Ottomans allowed the start of Jewish settlement
    in the country. The Ottomans also viewed the Palestinians as some
    of their most loyal subjects. They enlisted in the imperial army,
    fought in combat, became high-ranking officers, received citations of
    bravery from the sultan, married Turkish women, and, most importantly,
    hoped to keep the Ottoman Empire intact so they could put into practice
    Arab nationalism under its umbrella.

    During the recent crisis in Gaza, the Turkish press often focused
    on the passivity of the Arab regimes in light of the events, while
    contrasting it with Turkey's spirited efforts. "Does the apathy
    of the Arab regimes stem from the fact that we, the Ottoman Turks,
    ruled Palestine for a longer period of time than the Arabs?" asked
    one Turkish newspaper.

    The start of the crisis looked promising from Turkey's standpoint
    because in the last year it has been prominent as a go-between
    for Israel and Syria. Gaza is regarded as naturally suited for
    Turkish mediation, given that Egypt has been strongly criticized
    by Hamas. "Neo-Ottomanism" and "the Golden Age," Turkish newspapers
    enthused about the country's elevated standing. But then something
    ruined the picture and the blame fell on Israel. Syria announced the
    suspension of negotiations with Israel, adding further to Erdogan's
    insult in the wake of Olmert's visit. "I am a descendant of the Ottoman
    Empire that granted refuge to your forefathers who were expelled from
    Spain; when you suffered we stood by your side," he protested. The
    task of mediation was ultimately won by Egypt, not Turkey, which only
    added to the insult.

    >From Israel's vantage point, the greatest danger is pushing Turkey
    into the arms of the "reverse periphery alliance" with Iran. In the
    1950s and '60s, our region featured a mysterious alliance of actors who
    shared the common denominator of being non-Arabs and hostility toward
    Moscow. Over time, this group included Turkey, Iran, Israel, Ethiopia,
    the Kurds in Iraq, the Christians in Lebanon and the Christians in
    Sudan. It would be best if we could avoid the formation of a new
    alliance with Turkey and Iran as the central figures, whose uniting
    factor would be hostility toward Israel. Relations between Ankara
    and Tehran are as good as ever, trade between them is burgeoning,
    and Turkey is not particularly worried about Iran's nuclear program.

    It is worth noting, though, that alongside his stinging remarks,
    Erdogan rebuffed opposition calls to sever diplomatic ties with Israel,
    and he made clear that Turkey's foreign relations "are not emotional"
    but are conducted with reason. "Dear friends, we are not running a
    supermarket here, we are running the Republic of Turkey," he said.

    A close relationship with Turkey is of supreme importance to Israel. We
    must not quarrel with Erdogan. Instead, we need to find a way to
    blunt the crisis and repair ties. This will be an urgent mission for
    the new government in Jerusalem.

    The writer teaches in the Political Science Department at Bar-Ilan
    University and is a senior researcher at the university's Begin-Sadat
    Center for Strategic Studies.
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