Israel |
Turkey |
Israel–Turkey relations were formalized in March 1949[1] when Turkey became the first Muslim majority country (before Iran in 1950[2]) to recognize the State of Israel.[3][4]
Israel has been a major supplier of arms to Turkey. Military, strategic, and diplomatic cooperation between Turkey and Israel were accorded high priority by the governments of both countries, which share concerns with respect to the regional instabilities in the Middle East.[5][6] Relations between the two countries have been strained since the Gaza flotilla raid, in which eight Turkish nationals and an American man of Turkish descent were killed.[7]
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Despite cool relations since the accession of the Justice and Development Party in Turkey,[8] the Israeli Foreign Ministry characterized its relations with Turkey as "perfect" in early 2006. After Khaled Mashal, the leader of Hamas' political wing, paid an official visit to Turkey, Turkish-Israeli relations entered a "cooling down" process.[9]
Talks regarding the sale of Israeli Ofeq satellites and Arrow missile air-defence systems to Turkey have taken place, pending United States approval. The systems would be a generational leap for the Turkish military and intelligence capabilities.[10] Israeli defence companies have been responsible for modernizing the F-4 Phantom fleet of the Turkish air force. Their agreements include cooperation in the "domains of air, sea, land, intelligence; and the manufacturing of aircraft, armaments and missiles," and "prepares the way for mutual military visits, training and exercises, dispatch of observers to oversee military exercises, staff exchanges and military know-how." (Sleiman, M.; 2002, April). The Turkish Middle East Role: Between the Arabs and Israel U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania}
Shortly after the 1999 Izmit earthquake, Israel carried out a large scale operation to assist in search and rescue efforts and set up makeshift hospitals. The Israeli team included hundreds of personnel from the IDF SAR team, paramedics, surgeons and administrative personnel. The team was one of the largest international teams to assist in the catastrophe (which claimed more than 17,000 lives) and remained active for weeks.[11][12] During the Mount Carmel forest fire in Israel of 2010, Turkey was one of the first nations to send aid to Israel. Turkey sent two firefighting aircraft, which started to extinguish fire in the early hours of 3 December.[13] Following an earthquake in Turkey's Van province, Turkey had requested aid in the form of prefabricated housing and tents from more than 30 countries, including Israel. This announcement came after the Turkish government had received offers of aid from dozens of countries around the world, including Israel, but accepted aid only from Bulgaria, Azerbaijan and Iran.[14] Israel responded to the Turkish request by airlifting mobile homes to the devastated region.[15]
Israel has maintained two diplomatic missions in Turkey: its embassy is located in the capital city of Ankara, and its Consulate General is located in Turkey's largest city, Istanbul.[16] Until the recent downgrading in relations, the Israeli ambassador to Turkey was Pinhas Avivi,[17] and the Israeli consul-general was Mordechai Amihai.[18] These missions are responsible for Israeli consular affairs for the Marmara, Aegean, Eastern Thrace and western part of the Black Sea regions of Turkey.[19]
In a rare visit by a leader of a nation with a Muslim majority, Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, came to Israel in 2005 offering to serve as a Middle East peace mediator and looking to build on trade and military ties. Tayyip Erdogan brought a large group of businessmen on his two-day trip, which included talks with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Moshe Katsav. Erdogan also laid a wreath at the Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem.[20][21] The Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan assured Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, that his Justice and Development Party saw anti-Semitism as “a crime against humanity”. He added that Iran's nuclear ambitions were a threat not just to Israel but to “the entire world”.[22]
On a three-day visit to Ankara in November 2007, Israeli President Shimon Peres met with Turkish President Abdullah Gül, and addressed the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, the first time an Israeli President addressed a Muslim majority country's parliament. Peres and Gül differed on what action was to be taken regarding Iran's nuclear program, Peres publicly said he didn't believe energy-rich Iran was interested in nuclear power. Gül said that he would work to help free three abducted Israeli soldiers: Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.[10][23]
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert apologized for Israeli warplanes violating Turkish airspace when attacking a suspected nuclear plant in Syria, leaving jettisoned fuel tanks in Turkish territory.
However, the Turkish government's condemnation of the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict strained relations between the two countries.[24][25]
On 5 March 2009 the Israeli Haaretz daily reported that "secret reconciliation talks at the highest level" have been held to get the Israeli-Turkish relations back on track.[26] This report was cited in the Turkish press.[27][28]
On 2 September 2011, Turkey downgraded diplomatic ties with Israel to second secretary level and suspended military co-operation between the countries as the UN released its report into Israel's controversial raid of a Gaza-bound ship. Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, announced the measures on Friday, hours before Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, formally received the report, details of which were leaked to the media. A statement from the Israeli prime minister's office said, "Israel hopes to find a way to overcome the dispute and will continue to work towards this goal". Turkey is demanding an Israeli apology and compensation over the 31 May 2010 incident aboard the Mavi Marmara in which eight Turkish nationals and an American man of Turkish descent died when the vessel was stormed by Israeli commandos. The Israeli government has refused several times to make such a gesture.[29]
On 1 January 2000, Israel and Turkey signed a free-trade agreement called the Turkish-Israeli Free Trade Agreement, making Turkey the first Muslim majority country to sign such an agreement with Israel.[30]
Israel exports an annual $1.5 billion in goods and services to Turkey, and imports $1.8 billion.[31]"Turkey: Israel's Largest 3rd Export Market in 2011."[32] Trade between Turkey and Israel increased from $600 million (2010) to $695 million (first six months of 2011), and Israeli exports to Turkey rose to $662 million from $420 million.[33]
As of 2 September 2011, all military agreements between Turkey and Israel have been suspended.[36] Turkey has frozen 16 defense contracts worth billions of dollars since March 2010. Turkey suspended a 5 billion dollar deal for 1,000 Merkava Mk 3 tanks. Turkey also dropped Israel Aerospace Industries Arrow-2 anti-ballistic missile system worth $2 billion from bidding. Now only U.S, European, and Chinese companies can bid.[34]
A Turkish diplomat, Selâhattin Ülkümen, is honoured as one of the Righteous Among The Nations for his work in rescuing Jews from Nazi officials on the island of Rhodes, by issuing them Turkish visas and later arranging for their transport to Turkish territory. Another diplomat, Necdet Kent, also rescued Jews from Nazi authorities, for which he was awarded a special medal by the government of the State of Israel.
In 2003, the Arkadas Association was established in Israel. The Arkadas Association is a Turkish-Jewish cultural center in Yehud, founded to preserve Turkish-Jewish heritage and promote friendship (Arkadaş being the Turkish word for Friend) between the Israeli and Turkish people.
Eyal Peretz, the head of the Arkadas Association, said the crumbling relations between Israel and Turkey has negatively impacted the culture center. Arkadas stopped organizing Jewish heritage trips to Turkey two years ago because of security concerns and dwindling demand. Peretz stated, “I’ve devoted most of my life as an adult to cultivate ties between the two people and I’ve seen how a warm relationship has been erased in one fell swoop. It’s very painful, very frustrating."[37]
A joint Israeli-Palestinian industrial park is being developed under Turkey's aegis. Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the Grand National Assembly of Turkey a day apart to discuss resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and greater Arab-Israeli conflict weeks before the 2007 Mideast peace conference at Annapolis, Maryland. Peres said that "Turkey is an important player in the Middle East in relation to the United States, Syria and the Palestinians, as well as us."[10] According to the Jerusalem Post, a spokeswoman for the Syrian Foreign Ministry indicated to a Kuwaiti newspaper that "Turkey is used as a channel of communication" between Syria and Israel.[38]
In October 2009, following Turkey's banning Israel's participation in the Anatolian Eagle military exercise, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu objected to Turkey as a mediator, stating "Turkey can't be [an] honest broker", between Syria and Israel.[39]
In December 1987, Turkey denounced "Israeli oppression", and supported the Palestinians' right to self-determination. In 2004, Turkey denounced Israeli assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, as a "terrorist act". It described the Israeli policy in the Gaza Strip as "state-sponsored terrorism".[3][4] The Turkish government's condemnation of Israel's military campaign in Gaza in 2009 strained relations between the two countries.[40][41] There were demonstrations across Turkey against Israeli actions in Gaza.[42][43]
Turkey's [44] Prime Minister Erdoğan harshly criticized Israel's conduct in Gaza at the World Economic Forum conference in Davos, Switzerland in early 2009.[45] After the assembled audience applauded Peres, Erdoğan said: "I find it very sad that people applaud what you said. You killed people. And I think that it is very wrong." The moderator, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius asked Erdoğan to finish, saying that people needed to go to dinner.[46] Erdoğan complained about the fact, that he was given 12 minutes to talk, whereas Peres talked for a duration of 25 minutes. Erdoğan then proceeded to leave the stage.[47][48][49]
On 11 October 2009, a military aerial exercise was to consist of Turkey, Israel, the United States, and Italy. However, Turkey barred Israel from the Anatolian Eagle military exercise.[45][50]
In October 2009, Ayrılık (Farewell), a prime-time serial on Turkish state television channel TRT 1 featured fictionalized scenes of Israeli soldiers shooting Palestinian children and mistreating elderly Arabs.[51] Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman criticized the program,[52] and rebuked the Turkish Ambassador in front of assembled media.[53] Lieberman subsequently apologized after Turkey threatened to withdraw its ambassador.[53]
In January 2010, Israel condemned an episode ("Ambush") of the Turkish soap opera Valley of the Wolves, which depicted the Israeli intelligence service Mossad spying inside Turkey and kidnapping Turkish babies. The program depicted a fictional Mossad attack on the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv, taking the ambassador and his family hostage. On 11 January 2010 Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon summoned Turkish ambassador Ahmet Oğuz Çelikkol to a meeting, At the session, Çelikkol was seated below Ayalon. With cameras rolling, Ayalon turned to his aide and said, "The main thing is that you see that he is seated low and that we are high ... that there is one flag on the table (the Israeli flag) and that we are not smiling." [54][55]
On 31 May 2010, nine activists (eight Turkish citizens and one Turkish-American with dual citizenship) were killed by Israeli troops after seven Israeli soldiers were injured on the Mavi Marmara, part of the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla",[56] a convoy of six ships carrying 663 people from 37 nations, including pro-Palestinian activists,[57] journalists, and humanitarians. Following the raid, which took place in the Mediterranean Sea in international waters,[58] tension between the two countries mounted. One of the ships taking part was flying a Turkish flag. Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan described the raid as "state terrorism". Turkey recalled its ambassador from Israel, and summoned the Israeli ambassador to demand an explanation. The Turkish Foreign Ministry stated that the incident could lead to irreparable consequences in bilateral relations.[59]
Israel's Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov encouraged Israelis to boycott Turkey, and select other destinations such as Cyprus, Romania or Bulgaria for holidays.[60]
Cyprus and Israel signed an accord demarcating their maritime borders to facilitate offshore gas exploration. Agreement provides Israel with exclusive economic, research rights and sovereignty over artificial facilities built within maritime area. Cypriot Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou and Israel's Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau signed the deal in Nicosia. The intent is to facilitate a search for mineral deposits in the east Mediterranean where huge natural gas reserves have been discovered. Turkish sources said that Foreign Ministry officials had summoned Israel's Ambassador to Turkey, Gabby Levy, and expressed discontent over an agreement signed between Israel and Cyprus.[61]
In September 2011, Turkey expelled Israel's ambassador after Israel refused to apologize for the killing of nine activists with Turkish citizenship (one was also a United States citizen) in the Gaza flotilla raid following a UN report that found that the blockade of Gaza was legal according to international law but that excessive force was used when boarding the ship.[62] The report also stated it cannot make definitive findings either of fact or law. But it can give its view.[63][64][65]
Israeli officials stated that they hoped to restore ties but reiterated that they would not apologize.[66][67] Hamas praised Turkey's decision.[68][69]
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Turkey's opposition leader, condemned the downgrade in relations with Israel, stating "No good can come of it and there is no need for us to risk our interest with petty action."[70] Amnesty International, a harsh critic of both the blockade[71] and flotilla raid[72] said Turkey was "understandably angry".[73][74]
On 3 September 2011, at a news conference foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said "Turkey will take every precaution it deems necessary for the safety of maritime navigation in the eastern Mediterranean."[75] Erdoğan says misquoted on warships Turkish PM's office softens threat of military clash at sea, says country 'won't send vessel to Mediterranean Sea as long as Israel avoids intervening in freedom of movement in international waters'. Turkey reportedly intends to challenge Israel's blockade of Gaza via a court case at the ICJ[76]
On 6 September 2011, the semi-official Anatolian Agency reported that Turkey's Prime Minister Erdoğan had accused Israel of acting like "a spoiled boy" and described the raid as "savagery".[77] He also announced that "We are completely suspending all of these military relations, related with the defense industry," with regards to Israel.[78]
Erdoğan announced that Turkey's navy will step up its surveillance of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, stating that Turkey will ensure "freedom of navigation" in the eastern Mediterranean by using Turkey's naval bases in the ports of Iskenderun and Aksaz to "keep the area under constant surveillance". He added that "Of course, our ships will show themselves quite often from now on. We will see it very often", he added.[79]
Faruk Logoglu, a deputy chairman of the opposition Republican People's Party, criticized Erdoğan, stating that "The probability that (Turkey's ruling) party has carried Turkey to the brink of a hot conflict is saddening and unacceptable." Alon Liel, a former Israeli ambassador to Turkey, stated that it was unlikely that Turkish forces "would dare to penetrate Israeli waters", but speculated that Turkey may try to disrupt future Israeli gas exports to Cyprus and warned of a new Turkish-Egyptian alliance that could isolate Israel in the Mediterranean.[79]
Moshe Ya'alon, Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs, accused Turkey of cooperating with Hamas and Iran. In a conference in Tel Aviv, he said "How can you trust a government that consorts with Iran and Hamas?" According to the Shin Bet, Hamas established a command post in Turkey and has used it to recruit operatives and oversee operations in the Middle East.[80]
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak predicted that the current coolness in relations between the two countries will pass in time. He said that Turkey and Israel are the two most important countries in the region as far as the West is concerned, that the UN vindicated Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, and that both countries "recognize reality."[81][82]
At the U.N. General Assembly in September 2011, U.S. President Barack Obama personally asked Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to solve the diplomatic rift between his country and Israel. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked Erdogan not to do anything to worsen the situation.[83]
In the final days of 2011 the Knesset debated recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Relations between the two countries have further strained because of this possible future decision of Knesset.[84]
Together with Iran, Turkey plays a key role in mobilising Muslim support and supplying resources to Hamas through ships to Jordan and Egypt. Turkey claims its actions are completely legitimate, even though there are claims they are aiming to strike Israel. Turkey's opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan received Prime Minister of the Palestinian government in Gaza Strip Ismail Haniyeh in December 2011. During the meeting Kilicdaroglu voiced hope that the Palestinian state will be established within the pre-June 1967 borderlines as early as possible, with the bless of Turkey.
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