Tweet
ARE TURKEY AND ISRAEL GETTING CLOSER?
by Asli Aydintasbas
Milliyet
Jan 30 2012
Turkey
[translated from Turkish]
There is no normalization or secret agreement between Turkey and
Israel. At the most, there is a "pact of non-aggression" and a policy
of detente. As for an agreement, it still seems to be too far.
Successive reports caused speculations in the public that a new
process had started between Turkey and Israel.
In fact, one cannot say that there have been gigantic steps. Turkey
chose a young musician of Jewish origin from Izmir, Can Bonomo, to
represent it at the Eurovision song contest. He is a sympathetic
youngster, and the decision is right, but, neither the decision
on Bonomo nor the broadcasting of the film on the Jewish genocide
during World War II, Shoah, on the documentary channel of the TRT
[Turkish Radio and Television] means that Turkey and Israel are
secretly getting closer.
It is obvious, however, that the relations are not as tense as
they were.
For instance, the fact that among those who objected to the Armenian
bill in France there were people of Jewish origin, did not slip
Ankara's notice.
A few weeks ago, the Israeli Foreign Ministry immediately intervened
and stopped an attempt to recognize the Armenian genocide at
the Israeli Parliament, Knesset. In Washington also there is an
interesting situation. The Jewish lobby that has a significant weight
on US Congress no longer works like Turkey's lobby as in the past,
but it does not work against it either. The Jewish lobby seems to have
suspended its critical approach against Turkey that it had adopted
following the Mavi Marmara incident.
More importantly, we no longer see the "crossfire" style harsh
statements that we had witnessed last year. Israeli Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu has instructed his cabinet "not to respond to
Turkey no matter what." As for the Turkish prime minister, he has not
made a single statement against Israel since his address at the UN in
September. If you do not count the standard Mavi Marmara statements
that justify Turkey's stand, Ankara seems to have abandoned its policy
of swinging its fist at Turkey at every possible opportunity.
What is happening then? Have Ankara and Tel Aviv started a secret
negotiation process, or signed a secret peace agreement in a flash?
No, not exactly. In fact, the state of affairs between Turkey and
Israel has not changed within the last six months. We are still far
away from the point of shaking hands or reconciliation.
If there is an "agreement" that needs to be mentioned, then it is not
about "normalization" but only an unofficial and tentative "mutual
non-aggression" agreement between the two countries.
US President Barack Obama had made a special request in a 90
minute-meeting in New York with Tayyip Erdogan, to prevent the
bilateral relations from "worsening further." In summary he had said:
"My job here will get more difficult, and it will be hard for us to
defend you." He repeated the same request to Israeli Prime Minister
Netanyahu who was very eager to mend the relations.
The two countries are refraining from steps that would create the
speculation or possibility of a "military clash" in the eastern
Mediterranean. More importantly, the leaders in both countries refrain
from making provocative or aggressive statements against each other.
The secret and indirect contacts held in New York in order to
"mend" the bilateral relations that reached a breaking point with
the release of the Palmer Report at the end of the summer, did not
yield any results. Ankara is insistent on its demands for an apology
and reparations, moreover it is in a comfortable position due to the
honeymoon phase in its relations with Washington because of the Arab
spring. It has no intentions of making concessions. Israel agrees,
albeit unwillingly, to apologize and to pay reparations, but it has
certain demands in return. In return for an apology and reparations,
Israel wants guarantees that the bilateral relations will really
normalize, in other words, that they will go back to their state in
1990 in all senses, military and political.
This is where things break off. Israel's demand is not something
Ankara is willing to meet particularly when it is feeling so much at
ease. At a time when there is no peace between Israel and Palestine,
when there is a possibility that Israel may attack Iran, and when
Turkey's image in the Arab street has reached a peak, Ankara does
not want to bring the relations to their former state and lose the
moral weight it has gained in the Arab world.
Those who try to mediate between the two, keep walking back and forth
in this vicious circle.
[translated from Turkish]
by Asli Aydintasbas
Milliyet
Jan 30 2012
Turkey
[translated from Turkish]
There is no normalization or secret agreement between Turkey and
Israel. At the most, there is a "pact of non-aggression" and a policy
of detente. As for an agreement, it still seems to be too far.
Successive reports caused speculations in the public that a new
process had started between Turkey and Israel.
In fact, one cannot say that there have been gigantic steps. Turkey
chose a young musician of Jewish origin from Izmir, Can Bonomo, to
represent it at the Eurovision song contest. He is a sympathetic
youngster, and the decision is right, but, neither the decision
on Bonomo nor the broadcasting of the film on the Jewish genocide
during World War II, Shoah, on the documentary channel of the TRT
[Turkish Radio and Television] means that Turkey and Israel are
secretly getting closer.
It is obvious, however, that the relations are not as tense as
they were.
For instance, the fact that among those who objected to the Armenian
bill in France there were people of Jewish origin, did not slip
Ankara's notice.
A few weeks ago, the Israeli Foreign Ministry immediately intervened
and stopped an attempt to recognize the Armenian genocide at
the Israeli Parliament, Knesset. In Washington also there is an
interesting situation. The Jewish lobby that has a significant weight
on US Congress no longer works like Turkey's lobby as in the past,
but it does not work against it either. The Jewish lobby seems to have
suspended its critical approach against Turkey that it had adopted
following the Mavi Marmara incident.
More importantly, we no longer see the "crossfire" style harsh
statements that we had witnessed last year. Israeli Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu has instructed his cabinet "not to respond to
Turkey no matter what." As for the Turkish prime minister, he has not
made a single statement against Israel since his address at the UN in
September. If you do not count the standard Mavi Marmara statements
that justify Turkey's stand, Ankara seems to have abandoned its policy
of swinging its fist at Turkey at every possible opportunity.
What is happening then? Have Ankara and Tel Aviv started a secret
negotiation process, or signed a secret peace agreement in a flash?
No, not exactly. In fact, the state of affairs between Turkey and
Israel has not changed within the last six months. We are still far
away from the point of shaking hands or reconciliation.
If there is an "agreement" that needs to be mentioned, then it is not
about "normalization" but only an unofficial and tentative "mutual
non-aggression" agreement between the two countries.
US President Barack Obama had made a special request in a 90
minute-meeting in New York with Tayyip Erdogan, to prevent the
bilateral relations from "worsening further." In summary he had said:
"My job here will get more difficult, and it will be hard for us to
defend you." He repeated the same request to Israeli Prime Minister
Netanyahu who was very eager to mend the relations.
The two countries are refraining from steps that would create the
speculation or possibility of a "military clash" in the eastern
Mediterranean. More importantly, the leaders in both countries refrain
from making provocative or aggressive statements against each other.
The secret and indirect contacts held in New York in order to
"mend" the bilateral relations that reached a breaking point with
the release of the Palmer Report at the end of the summer, did not
yield any results. Ankara is insistent on its demands for an apology
and reparations, moreover it is in a comfortable position due to the
honeymoon phase in its relations with Washington because of the Arab
spring. It has no intentions of making concessions. Israel agrees,
albeit unwillingly, to apologize and to pay reparations, but it has
certain demands in return. In return for an apology and reparations,
Israel wants guarantees that the bilateral relations will really
normalize, in other words, that they will go back to their state in
1990 in all senses, military and political.
This is where things break off. Israel's demand is not something
Ankara is willing to meet particularly when it is feeling so much at
ease. At a time when there is no peace between Israel and Palestine,
when there is a possibility that Israel may attack Iran, and when
Turkey's image in the Arab street has reached a peak, Ankara does
not want to bring the relations to their former state and lose the
moral weight it has gained in the Arab world.
Those who try to mediate between the two, keep walking back and forth
in this vicious circle.
[translated from Turkish]