At first there were conflicting reports even about the meeting place (Brussels or Switzerland) and about who requested it. An Israeli official allegedly leaked the information to the BBC, but no one knows who he or she might be. However, everyone seems sure that the meeting was very warm.There was probably some level of secrecy about this meeting; however, it was not that secret. In any case, the fact that the two met is more important than the substance of their talks. They have thus proved that Turkey and Israel are not enemies and that they are still capable of discussing their disagreements face to face. The two ministers even allowed journalists to photograph them after their “secret” meeting, and everyone has since noticed that the meeting was only kept “secret” from the Israeli foreign minister.
The series of crises between these two countries are not the result of “direct” conflicts between them. Their reason is that the Middle East is about to be reshaped around Palestine and Iran, but Israel’s actions do not make this reshaping easy. However, Turkey’s insistence on Gaza is pushing Israel to adopt a political position on the Kurdish issue, and this can be the subject over which these two countries may confront each other directly. Israel’s insinuation that it may support the Kurdish cause at a time when the US is putting pressure on Turkey about a peaceful resolution of the Kurdish issue and when it supports Turkish military operations against this terrorist organization was probably the last straw.
The point is, there are important differences of opinion within the Israeli government, and the hawkish wing’s rhetoric makes Israel more and more isolated. Everything indicates that the present situation is no longer sustainable for Israel: The US insists on reaching a rapid solution to the Palestinian issue; Russia is telling Israel that it should talk with Hamas; the EU is increasing its aid to Gaza; Lebanon is choosing to abstain from voting in the UN Security Council on sanctions against Iran; and so on. Israel now has two options: Its government policies will have to change or there will be a change of government. However, a new Israeli government will not necessarily be a more peaceful one, so maybe trying to push the present government to soften its stance is less risky. The main obstacle before a change in government policy is the mentality of Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who is also the leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel is Our Home) party. The Turkish-Israeli meeting was probably part of a plan to neutralize Lieberman.
Following the meeting, Israel immediately announced that Turkey had requested this gathering because it can only justify it in the eyes of Israeli public opinion by giving the impression that Turkey had taken a step back. However, it is obvious that it is the US that called the two sides to get together, with President Barack Obama himself telling the Turkish authorities this during the G20 Summit in Toronto. Neither the US nor Turkey wants Israel to stay out of the game. Besides, it was necessary to release some steam before Turkish public opinion becomes fully convinced that there is a connection between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) latest actions and Israel’s stance toward Turkey.
This meeting had another benefit for Turkey: It was an opportunity to emphasize the huge difference between opposing the policies of the Israeli government and being against Israel or Jews.
