But it has been generously wasted by successive Israeli governments since the war in Gaza. No one should point to the Erdoğan government’s anti-Israeli policies, because there was no such thing prior to the war in Gaza. Up until that point the Turkish government had continued to deepen its relations with Israel and help mediate differences between Israel and Syria to pave the way toward permanent peace in the region. When Israel attacked Gaza in December 2007, Turkey still managed to bring the two countries to agree to direct talks. The breakthrough was sabotaged by then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who deceived Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his visit to Turkey just a few days before the attacks on Gaza.It is therefore nonsense to explain the current crisis through a reference to the so-called Islamist character of the Erdoğan government. It was in fact the Erdoğan government that used its prestige in the eyes of regional actors to bring Israel out of isolation by finding a solution to the Palestinian question.
But unfortunately the Israeli governments were unable to understand the changing political environment in the Middle East and Turkey’s role in it. Instead, they continued to deal with the old issue using old and inconclusive methods that in the end led to losing Turkey.
Yes, Israel lost Turkey with the latest attack on the humanitarian aid ships in which nine Turks were killed. This is going to haunt Israel and any attempt at normalization between the two countries in the near future.
At the heart of the matter in a broader perspective lies Israel’s failure to understand the “new Turkey,” with its government, civil society, economy and friends in the world. Israeli governments constantly daydreamed of a return to the late 1990s, when they had a working relationship with Turkish governments and the Turkish military disregarded what people actually thought. What people think increasingly became a matter of import in Turkish politics due to its democratization and EU accession processes -- developments that meant the “alliance” with Israel had begun to be questioned whenever Israel engaged in violent policies in the region, like the war in Lebanon and the attacks on Gaza. Israel’s unacceptable aggression in the region dealt a blow to Turkish-Israeli relations.
Pro-Israeli forces continue to make mistakes in analyzing Turkey correctly by portraying the Erdoğan government as the source of the problem and claiming that Turkish-Israeli relations would return to normal under a non-Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government. This is a very simple trick to target the AK Party by hinting at working together with all anti-AK Party forces. We know that pro-Israeli circles constantly underline this theme behind closed doors; namely, that the problem is the Erdoğan government and that Israel is prepared to cooperate with AK Party opponents.
Let me advise advocates of this strategy that such an approach is self-defeating. Anything and anyone associated with Israel and pro-Israeli circles in the world would be discredited in the eyes of the Turkish people. Support from pro-Israeli forces to anti-AK Party groups in Turkish politics would be the kiss of death. Designing Turkish politics with the help of overt or covert Israeli support is counterproductive.
Israel is under the spotlight. Some in Israel might think that they can contribute to the weakening of the Erdoğan government by working together with its opponents in secret. Such thinking is not only dangerous but also futile.
Israel is the number-one suspect in Turkey. Whatever bad happens, people and opinion leaders tend to link them to the underground activities of the Israeli government. The case at hand is last week’s terrorist attack on a naval base in İskenderun. Many argued -- and some believed though they didn’t say it -- that the terrorist attack in the East Mediterranean port of İskenderun was a Mossad operation. There is a growing view in Turkey that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorist organization is linked to and used by the Israeli secret service. So any acts of terror perpetrated by the PKK may be explained as a covert Israeli war targeting Turkey. Even setting the PKK aside, any act of terror committed in Turkey (against any target, including the Turkish-Jewish community) would be interpreted as a provocation perpetrated by the Israeli war machine.
Political conspiracies directed at the Turkish government would also be treated in a similar way, resulting in strengthening the position of the AK Party government -- something contrary to expectations. So my advice to pro-Israeli forces is that they should get used to living and working with the AK Party government, and try to understand the “new Turkey” because, even in a post-AK Party period, things will never be as they were in days past.
