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CAN TURKEY TRUST ISRAEL?
Star (newspaper)
June 28 2011
Turkey
by Sedat Laciner
[translated from Turkish]
It is not easy to surmount the problems in the relations between
Israel and Turkey, because the parties involved assess the problems
in very different ways. According to Israel, Prime Minister Erdogan
and the AKP [Justice and Development Party] are at the root of the
problem. This has become the view that was adopted by the state of
Israel particularly after the last change of government. Consequently,
from the Israeli point of view the problem will remain so long as the
government in Ankara does not change. Or, there will be extraordinary
developments in Israel and a more moderate government will come
to power.
Under these circumstances, Israel is making efforts using diplomacy
and the media, to restore the relations on the one hand, and trying to
undermine the Erdogan government on the other. It is common knowledge
that Israel has great influence on the world media. Israel's religious
support network is so wide that you can find baseless news on Turkey
in the least expected newspapers and journals. One day a small town
paper in Italy may write that Turkey signed an arms agreement with
Iran, and on another day one of the most prominent UK newspapers may
fabricate news that Prime Minister Erdogan is getting financial aid
from Iran. You will recall that right before the elections certain
Western newspapers and journals had published materials directing
the Turkish public as to whom it should vote for.
The attacks are not made by way of the media only. There are efforts
to harm the Erdogan government using financial channels also. Strange
and unexpected decisions taken at a time when all facts and figures
were right, and efforts to disrupt the economic balance in Turkey,
especially before the elections, were rather disconcerting. However,
Turkey's economy is so strong that by harming it the West would be
harming its own self. This is why those financial attacks have not
resulted in the intended consequences. Israel's role in this may
be questionable, but when senseless economic attacks are concerned,
suspicions always concentrate on the same country.
Israel has always played a double game
This dual attitude of Israel is in fact not that recent. Panic had
already set in in Tel-Aviv after the elections of 2002. Thinking that
its "friends in Turkey lost the elections," Israel wanted to continue
its relations with Turkey on the military level as in the 1990s. When
the AKP won the elections with a great margin the official relations
had to be carried on with the new government. Nevertheless, Israel
secretly lead defamation campaigns against the Erdogan governments
in the US and in Europe on the one hand, and continued its relations
with the militarist-putscher forces in Turkey on the other. So much
so that, the Israeli president even made statements claiming that a
coup-d'etat would be very good for Turkey. We should also note that
during that period Israel supported the efforts towards an independent
Kurdish state in northern Iraq and maintained unusual relations.
In short, Israeli politicians are smiling in front of the cameras
and are trying to show the length they go to in order to restore the
relations with Turkey. However, the situation backstage is that Turkey
has lost its trust in Israel. This trust was particularly razed to the
ground by the attack on Gaza. They even tried to create an impression
that Prime Minister Erdogan had been informed about the attack, and
thus to destroy Turkey's image in the Arab world. This is where the
strings broke. Erdogan criticized Israeli Prime Minister Olmert for
not keeping his word and accused Israel of carrying out a massacre.
The rest followed in rapid succession. Both sides voiced their
feelings. Israel accused Turkey of conducting genocide against
the Greek, the Armenians, and the Kurds, at a meeting the Israeli
officials had the Turkish ambassador sit in a lower chair, and they
murdered 9 Turkish citizens on the open sea.
In short, the fundamental problem between the two countries is lack
of trust. Turkey does not trust Israel, it thinks Israel is playing
a double game, and that it is not sincere. Consequently, it is not
possible to develop the relations before trust is restored.
[translated from Turkish]
Star (newspaper)
June 28 2011
Turkey
by Sedat Laciner
[translated from Turkish]
It is not easy to surmount the problems in the relations between
Israel and Turkey, because the parties involved assess the problems
in very different ways. According to Israel, Prime Minister Erdogan
and the AKP [Justice and Development Party] are at the root of the
problem. This has become the view that was adopted by the state of
Israel particularly after the last change of government. Consequently,
from the Israeli point of view the problem will remain so long as the
government in Ankara does not change. Or, there will be extraordinary
developments in Israel and a more moderate government will come
to power.
Under these circumstances, Israel is making efforts using diplomacy
and the media, to restore the relations on the one hand, and trying to
undermine the Erdogan government on the other. It is common knowledge
that Israel has great influence on the world media. Israel's religious
support network is so wide that you can find baseless news on Turkey
in the least expected newspapers and journals. One day a small town
paper in Italy may write that Turkey signed an arms agreement with
Iran, and on another day one of the most prominent UK newspapers may
fabricate news that Prime Minister Erdogan is getting financial aid
from Iran. You will recall that right before the elections certain
Western newspapers and journals had published materials directing
the Turkish public as to whom it should vote for.
The attacks are not made by way of the media only. There are efforts
to harm the Erdogan government using financial channels also. Strange
and unexpected decisions taken at a time when all facts and figures
were right, and efforts to disrupt the economic balance in Turkey,
especially before the elections, were rather disconcerting. However,
Turkey's economy is so strong that by harming it the West would be
harming its own self. This is why those financial attacks have not
resulted in the intended consequences. Israel's role in this may
be questionable, but when senseless economic attacks are concerned,
suspicions always concentrate on the same country.
Israel has always played a double game
This dual attitude of Israel is in fact not that recent. Panic had
already set in in Tel-Aviv after the elections of 2002. Thinking that
its "friends in Turkey lost the elections," Israel wanted to continue
its relations with Turkey on the military level as in the 1990s. When
the AKP won the elections with a great margin the official relations
had to be carried on with the new government. Nevertheless, Israel
secretly lead defamation campaigns against the Erdogan governments
in the US and in Europe on the one hand, and continued its relations
with the militarist-putscher forces in Turkey on the other. So much
so that, the Israeli president even made statements claiming that a
coup-d'etat would be very good for Turkey. We should also note that
during that period Israel supported the efforts towards an independent
Kurdish state in northern Iraq and maintained unusual relations.
In short, Israeli politicians are smiling in front of the cameras
and are trying to show the length they go to in order to restore the
relations with Turkey. However, the situation backstage is that Turkey
has lost its trust in Israel. This trust was particularly razed to the
ground by the attack on Gaza. They even tried to create an impression
that Prime Minister Erdogan had been informed about the attack, and
thus to destroy Turkey's image in the Arab world. This is where the
strings broke. Erdogan criticized Israeli Prime Minister Olmert for
not keeping his word and accused Israel of carrying out a massacre.
The rest followed in rapid succession. Both sides voiced their
feelings. Israel accused Turkey of conducting genocide against
the Greek, the Armenians, and the Kurds, at a meeting the Israeli
officials had the Turkish ambassador sit in a lower chair, and they
murdered 9 Turkish citizens on the open sea.
In short, the fundamental problem between the two countries is lack
of trust. Turkey does not trust Israel, it thinks Israel is playing
a double game, and that it is not sincere. Consequently, it is not
possible to develop the relations before trust is restored.
[translated from Turkish]