With this, blood was shed for the first time in Turkish-Israeli relations. How will the blood spilled repair Turkish-Israeli relations? As Israeli authorities have said, the logic of “Turkey is in no condition to wage a war. What’s done is done, let’s look to the future now” is not acceptable. Turkey ensuring that international institutions condemn Israel, Turkey’s harsh statements on the issue and protest demonstrations will also not be sufficient. As for attacks on Israeli citizens or Jews, these are also unacceptable and must be opposed. Shelving economic, cultural, political and military ties between Turkey and Israel is also not a solution.Then what should be done? We must know that an extreme right-fascist administration is in power in Israel and that it is knowingly increasing tensions. This fascist government has been working to turn Israel into the North Korea of the Middle East, damaging its democracy and control of the Israeli public by creating tunnels of fear. The Israeli public is increasingly isolated from the world and has come to the position of being the slave of a fascist administration. For this reason, in order to shape the future of Turkish-Israeli relations it is necessary to build relationships with pacifist Israeli NGOs, political parties and intellectuals. In addition, new mechanisms of cooperation must be established immediately in the Middle East that will include Israeli pro-peace institutions and intellectuals. Efforts to establish a “Middle East stability and cooperation platform” to ensure an atmosphere of dialogue in the Middle East could be started. And parallel to a “Middle East stability and cooperation platform,” a “Middle East house” to function as a joint platform for Middle Eastern intellectuals and civil society organizations could spring into action. A “Middle East club” could be established with the participation of former heads of state. In this way, by keeping the doors of high-level dialogue open unofficially, an end to conflicts born in the Middle East could be secured, or the prevention of future conflicts. A “Middle East cooperation action plan” could be signed between the countries of the Middle East. In this way, economic, cultural and educational cooperation could be revitalized in the Middle East. In addition, a “Middle East economic cooperation” organization could be established to work to increase prosperity in the region.
In order to build the future, what must be looked at is not just the partial picture of Turkish-Israeli relations but the big picture as a whole. This means we need to think about how Turkish-Jewish fraternity can be rebuilt. Even if the public memory is feeble, the memory of states and intellectuals should be stronger. Jews and Muslims are next-door neighbors. They are like family members that were separated. Since the very first eras of Islam, Muslims and Jews lived together in solidarity in the Middle East, in Andalusian Spain, in the Ottoman Empire, in the Caucasus and in Central Asia. The members of the two brother religions, which share some similarities, acted together against threats for centuries as well. They struggled together against the Crusades. While Muslims were expanding, Muslims and Jews acted together. For example, during the reign of the Four Caliphs and during the period of the Ottoman Empire’s expansion, when cities were conquered (such as Bursa, Edirne and İstanbul), Jews along with Muslims settled there. When Muslims retreated, Jews also moved back toward the center to more secure regions. Upon the recommendation of Andalusian Spain, Arabs and Jews sought refuge in the Ottoman state. In the 19th century, Jews along with Muslims from the Balkans, the Caucasus and Crimea were settled into safe regions within the Ottoman Empire. The real quarrel for Jews came with Europe. In A.D. 70, the Roman Empire’s destruction of Jerusalem and the emerging anti-Semitism paved the way for violent pressure and the genocide of Jews -- especially in Central Europe -- until the end of World War II. The underlying reason for Jews’ desire to create a secure state in the 19th and 20th centuries was because they were unable to feel comfortable in Europe.
In our present day, when the Cold War has drawn to an end, Muslims and Jews are being pushed toward a blind genesis. The two religions that lived like brothers for 1,400 years have for the past century, thanks to the racism of Central Europe, been brought into conflict. There is a need to emerge from this scene and develop new strategies aiming toward Muslim-Jewish solidarity in the centuries ahead. Instead of increasing differences and conflict, there is a need for strategies that will ensure fraternity.
