'Turkey's ties with Israel strong'

Jan 5: Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul assured Israel of the strength of their relationship as he sought to draw a line under a period of tension between the traditional allies.

"Our friendship is solid," Gul said at a press briefing with his counterpart Silvan Shalom during the most senior visit by a Turkish official to Israel since the Justice and Development Party, a movement with Islamist roots, came to power in Ankara in 2002. Tensions had escalated last May, when Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned as "state terror" a deadly Israeli operation in the Rafah region of southern Gaza and Ankara temporarily recalled its ambassador. The move marked an unprecedented chill in relations, which had been close since 1996 when, to the anger of Arab nations and Iran, the two countries hammered out a military cooperation accord, followed by a sharp increase in trade and cultural exchanges.

Summary

Turkey has condemned Israel's assassination of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Rantisi as an act of "terrorism." This is the first time a Turkish government has criticized Israel for a position since the two states enhanced their military relationship in the mid-1990s. The mildly Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara could not afford to remain neutral on this issue, especially because many Turkish citizens have been arrested on suspicion of ties to al Qaeda. The development could signal an initial AKP bid to realign with the Arab and Muslim world; Turkey and Israel have had diplomatic relations since 1949.

Analysis

Turkey has condemned Israel's targeted assassination of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin as an act of terrorism along with Rantisi's death. In an interview with Turkish daily Hurriyet, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed that the international community must examine this kind of act, adding that there can be no peace in the Middle East unless Israel gives up its strong-arm tactics. Erdogan said Israel's actions have seriously derailed any role Turkey could have played in mediations between Israelis and Palestinians, and he hinted that he might cancel a visit to Israel in April if the current atmosphere does not change.

This is an unprecedented criticism of Israel from Ankara. The mildly Islamist Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi (Justice and Development Party), or AKP, is taking advantage of international outrage over the killing of Yassin to try to undo Turkey's image as a pro-Israeli state. Ankara hopes this will stave off criticism from certain parts of the populace and the Muslim world. We should note that Hamas and the AKP trace their roots back to the Muslim Brotherhood organization of Egypt.

The AKP is trying to strike a balance between Turkey's status as an Israeli ally and its affiliations with the Arab Middle East and Muslim world, and this is the first opportunity since the AKP swept into power in November 2002. The AKP has held off displaying its Islamic inclinations for fear of meeting the same fate as the Refah Party, which was ousted by the military in 1997.

Three main events spurred the AKP to take this stance:

1) Europe has condemned the killings of Yassin/Rantisi, and Turkey faces growing prospects for future membership in the European Union.

2) Arab states that have diplomatic relations with Israel, such as Egypt and Jordan, strongly and publicly opposed the assassination.

3) The AKP has gained an advantage against the secularist military establishment following its renewed push for EU membership. The praetorian military, which has opposed the civilian government and supported Israel, has backed away from its self-styled role as the guardian of secularism in Turkey -- a precondition for Turkish EU accession.

The condemnation likely marks the first stirrings of AKP efforts to change Turkey's Middle East foreign policy. The AKP does not want to drastically alter its relations with Israel, but Ankara appears to be facing a crisis of legitimacy. Despite its Islamic roots, radical and militant Islamist groups have derided the party as an ally of the West and Israel.

Ankara fears that Islamist extremist groups could influence its constituency if it does not fine-tune its rhetoric and possibly adjust its Israel policy. This would explain the ability of jihadist groups to stage attacks in Turkey against Western financial institutions and synagogues.

"Turkey's politicians are trying to get into the EU, that means shun Israel. However, Turkey's military is still maintaining ties with israel." [Alex Marko]

Turkey's prospects for entrance to the EU aren't too good, and the lingering doubt (the forty year tease by the EU) must be just about gone. But I think you've identified one reason that the Turkish gov't was getting strident. The other reason, of course, was Islamofascism and attempts at rapprochement with non-Turkish Moslem neighbors.

"the turks do not like arabs" [camas]

Vice-versa. The Arab online "news" sources berate Israel (non-Arab), and berate Iran (non-Arab), and berate Turkey (non-Arab), sometimes all three in the same op-eds (I hesitate to call 'em articles). I first noticed this in the struggles over fresh water, the use of which is governed by treaties that go back to the early decades of the 20th century.

"Turkey and Israel have a strong strategic alliance." [anotherview]

I agree, and that has worked out for the US as well. Turkey remains the only real democracy in the Moslem Middle East, and the only other democracy (with the possible exception of some of the former Soviet republics) there is Israel. So they have that in common. Due to Greek-American political pressure, US transfer of modern armaments can't always go directly to Turkey, so it's sold by Israel, which in its turn got it from the US. It is obviously in the interests of the US to have good relations with Turkey, due to its democracy and its large, strategically placed armed forces.

"The condemnation likely marks the first stirrings of AKP efforts to change Turkey's Middle East foreign policy. The AKP does not want to drastically alter its relations with Israel, but Ankara appears to be facing a crisis of legitimacy. Despite its Islamic roots, radical and militant Islamist groups have derided the party as an ally of the West and Israel." [Alex Marko]

That's the threat. Erdogan has been pushing for Turkish EU membership for at least the past few years. It would benefit Turkey economically, but also politically, because (for example) their removal of the threat of constitutional military intervention to oust an openly Islamic gov't would conform to the EU charter. OTOH, the French ban on ragwear is a violation of the charter, strictly speaking, and the French don't want a member state in advocacy of Islamic "rights".

Looks like a lively debate here. ;')

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