The diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Israel has deepened since the UN report on the May 2010 killing of nine Turkish activists by Israeli commandos when they stormed an Istanbul ferry seeking to break Israel's blockade of Gaza. The ferry, the Mavi Marmara, was part of a flotilla of half a dozen ships launched by the Free Gaza movement which made several successful voyages to Gaza in 2008. But since 2009, Israel has intercepted ships bound for Gaza, impounded them, and imprisoned passengers and crew before deporting them.
Ankara was furious and demanded an apology as well as compensation for the families of victims. The flat refusal of Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu to make a formal apology has infuriated both the Turkish government and populace. The report blamed Israeli forces for using “excessive and unreasonable” force but also said Israel’s blockade of Gaza was legal, an assertion rejected by experts.
The report criticised organisers of the flotilla and did not call for Israel to be held accountable. Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu was dismissive. “We cannot say that the blockade aligns with international law.” Another Turkish official said Turkish naval vessels would henceforth accompany ships carrying aid to Palestinians in Gaza. He stated, “The eastern Mediterranean will no longer be a place where Israeli naval forces can freely exercise their bullying practices against civilian vessels.”
Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to visit Gaza. Turkey’s purpose, stated the official, “is to draw the world’s attention to what is going on in Gaza and to push the international community to end the unfair embargo.” The report was leaked to the press by Israel, prompting an outraged Turkey to eject Israel’s ambassador and downgrade its diplomatic representation to second secretary level.
Strong opposition
Turkey has cancelled military cooperation and joint manoeuvres with Israel and declared its intention of recognising a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza when proposed to the UN this month, a move Israel and the US strongly oppose.
The latest manifestation of the row took place on Sunday September 4 when 40 Israelis arriving at Istanbul airport were separated from other passengers, questioned, and strip-searched before being allowed to enter the country. This procedure, adopted for the first time, was pay-back for the treatment Turks and other non-Israeli passengers receive when entering and leaving Israel through the airport at Tel Aviv.
The Israeli liberal daily, Haaretz, quoted foreign ministry officials as saying that “over the past year there were dozens of complaints on the part of Turkish citizens who claimed they were humiliated by Israeli security personnel at Ben Gurion airport. The officials also said that almost every Turkish citizen who arrives at Ben Gurion airport undergoes a routine procedure of extensive, humiliating examinations that also include undressing to one’s underwear.”
Ankara’s response to Israel’s complaint about the treatment of Israelis was that Israel was the first to humiliate passengers. It remains to be seen if Ankara will persist with searches of Israeli businessmen who keep billions of dollars worth of trade flowing and tourists who flock to Turkey's holiday resorts.
The decision to expel Israel’s ambassador has put pressure on Egypt to follow suit. A solid majority of Egyptians demand the expulsion of Israel’s ambassador and the closure of its embassy. Tension between Cairo and Tel Aviv spiked last month when Israeli troops killed five Egyptian policemen along the two countries’ border following a Palestinian commando attack on Israelis near the southern port of Eilat.
Ankara’s about-face began with the Mavi Marmarma incident and has taken some time to reach this point. The mildly Muslim fundamentalist government was criticised for not reacting more strongly to the Israeli commando attack on the vessel and for preventing it from joining the flotilla which tried and failed to reach Gaza this summer.
Turkish anger has peaked because Netanyahu has adopted an arrogant attitude toward Turkey. Since the Arab Spring erupted last December-January and pro-Western Arab dictators were overthrown, successor governments have been obliged by public opinion to take anti-Israeli positions. This shift has influenced Turkey, where former governments and the military have cultivated relations with Israel in spite of popular opposition.
Turkey also seeks to become an integral part of West Asia in order to play a leading role in the region. This will not happen if Turkey remains the only regional power with close ties to Israel. For decades, non-Arab Turkey and Iran had good relations with non-Arab Israel while the Arabs regarded Israel as their chief enemy. Tehran ended this connection in 1979 after the fall of the shah. Turkey’s desertion leaves Israel isolated in the neighbourhood.