Getting Turkey right

After the Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara aid ship in international waters that killed nine Turks, one of whom was a 19-year-old US citizen who was shot four times in the head and once in the chest, the Turkish government demanded a formal apology from Israel and called for an impartial, international investigation. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon proposed an international investigation team to be led by the former prime minister of New Zealand. It was immediately rejected by Israel and the US. While the Netanyahu government said they trusted no one other than themselves, another sign of Israel’s further isolation under this far-right coalition government, the Obama administration lent its support to Israel under pressure when in fact it had its own quarrel over the issue of settlements and new building projects in East Jerusalem.

The Israeli government is trying to absolve itself of its crime by running a propaganda campaign accusing Turkey of collaborating and even secretly organizing the aid flotilla to allegedly “provoke” Israel to use excessive violence. By refusing to cooperate with the UN and the rest of the international community, Israel has isolated itself and tacitly acknowledged that it has something to hide. The commission set up by the Israeli government will have no credibility with Turkey, the main contestant in the issue. The Netanyahu government has now damaged its relations with a major regional power.

By blindly supporting Israel’s position, the US has simply encouraged this irresponsible behavior. After this, the Obama administration will have almost zero leverage with the Israeli government in regards to the settlements, proximity talks or any other steps towards restarting the moribund peace process in Palestine. Many people in the Arab and Muslim world are now questioning the widening gap between what Barack Obama promised in his famous speeches in Ankara and Cairo and what he is failing to deliver.

Neither the Israeli government nor American officials seem to understand why Turkey took such a firm position on the flotilla attack. The same confusion or lack of clarity appears to reign concerning Turkey’s “no” vote at the UN Security Council against additional sanctions against Iran. Turkey worked hard, together with Brazil, to broker the Tehran agreement on May 17. This is the only concrete document that the Iranians have signed so far and committed themselves to. Even though Turkish and Brazilian officials said repeatedly that this was an important confidence-building measure and not a file-closer on the Iranian nuclear issue, the US dismissed it as a useless effort. Turkey had to vote no to avoid contradicting itself and keep the Iranians at the negotiation table, something Americans and Europeans still want Turkey to do.

Turkish officials have said over and over again that Turkey will be the last country to allow Iran or any other country in its region to acquire nuclear weapons. This principled position seems to have fallen on deaf ears in Washington. Instead, some circles, driven by ideology and domestic politics more than anything else, are accusing Turkey of turning its back on the US, falling into the trap of Iranian machinations and forming a new alliance with Iran and Syria.

Those who really believe that Turkey is creating a new axis of power in the Middle East against the West are getting neither Turkey nor the region right. Turkey is a major regional power and acts in its own interests and the interests of the region. Turkey’s efforts to establish regional stability and minimize conflict to the extent possible are also in the interest of all parties. The artificial divisions that have been imposed upon the region since Sept. 11 have not worked and are failing everywhere, from Iraq and Lebanon to Palestine and Afghanistan. By pushing aside key players and befriending ineffective actors in the region, the US and partly the EU have contributed to the ongoing stalemate. Instead, they should pay more heed to Turkey’s experience in the region. It has been proven right so many times in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. It is likely to be proven right again in Iran, Palestine and Afghanistan.