Gül tells Israel to revise settlement policy, prove commitment for peace

President Abdullah Gül, who met with visiting Israeli Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, urged Israel to withdraw to pre-1967 borders and revise its policy of expanding settlements in Palestine, warning that current peace in the region is precarious. “It is calm today, but this may not be lasting. There might be undesired developments in the future,” Gül was quoted as telling Ben-Eliezer by sources close to the meeting. Israel, Gül said, must prove that it is willing and sincere for peace, stating that the peaceful coexistence of an Israeli and a Palestinian state would also be the best way to address Israel’s security concerns.

Ben-Eliezer is the first Israeli minister to visit Turkey, once a close regional ally of Israel, since relations hit a low last winter following an Israeli offensive in Gaza that left more than 1,400 Palestinians dead in Gaza. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan walked out of a World Economic Forum session in January after a heated exchange with Israeli President Shimon Peres, and Turkish-mediated talks between Israel and Syria collapsed after Ankara and Damascus said peace talks cannot proceed in the Israeli-Palestinian track as war rages on in Palestine. Relations continued to deteriorate after Turkey canceled a military exercise last month in which Israeli pilots were planned to participate and after Turkey’s state-run TV aired a drama series that portrayed Israeli soldiers as cruel and repressive.

Ben-Eliezer, known as a proponent of close ties with Turkey, seeks to restore relations to the pre-Gaza offensive era and has stated a few times during his visit that a visit by Gül to Israel as soon as possible would help mend fences. But Turkish leaders were cautious towards the invitation, insisting that the humanitarian conditions in Gaza -- which has not changed much since the January offensive -- should improve first.

Yesterday, Gül told Ben-Eliezer that he would consider whether to visit Israel after a visit by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu first. It was not immediately known when Davutoğlu planned to go to Israel. Ankara also expects Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak to visit Turkey in the near future, sources said.

Ben-Eliezer has said he was in Turkey to clear up some of the issues over Israeli-Turkish ties and called on Turkey to resume mediation between Israel and Syria, but his mission appeared to be divisive within Israel. Israel’s hawkish Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Turkey could not be considered a mediator because it lost its impartiality. But Ben-Eliezer said while Lieberman might have different thoughts, he was in Turkey representing the Israeli government.

Speaking late on Monday, Prime Minister Erdoğan said Turkey was ready to resume mediation but called on Israel to improve the situation in Gaza. “If we are assigned once more with such a mission, we are determined to be mediators again and to give all the support of which we are capable,” Erdoğan told reporters before departing for a visit to Libya. But he also complained that the situation in Gaza remains unchanged.

“Our aim is to make friends, not enemies,” Erdoğan said. “But we are trying to do this by respecting the principle of justice.” He added that Turkey wanted to help restructure Gaza’s destroyed infrastructure following the January offensive, but Israel denied this. “We invited Israel to have a more positive stance on these issues,” he said.

Optimistic about future of ties

Speaking to a group of reporters at the conclusion of his visit in Ankara on Tuesday, Ben-Eliezer said he feels optimistic that relations will be repaired. He denied reports that new houses were being built in new settlements since the right-wing government took over the power in Israel. “We are ready to evacuate settlements and demolish homes built on Palestinian territories once we achieve peace,” he said.

Eliezer also dismissed reports that Turkish humanitarian aid was blocked at the border with Gaza and said more humanitarian aid is flowing to Gaza now than before the Gaza offensive.

He also stressed Israeli government would like to see more high level visits to his country from Turkey but warned that any invitation extended to the president, the prime minister or foreign minister of Turkey would not include a trip to Gaza. “They are welcome to visit Israel or West Bank but not Gaza,” he underlined.

As for the delays in delivery of Herons, he said the Israeli side is working hard to resolve problems with the unmanned aerial vehicles. “Once we solve problems, we will hand them over immediately,” he said.

Speaking at a meeting discussing economic cooperation in Ankara earlier in the day, Ben-Eliezer invited Turkish businessmen to invest in Israel. “I have felt at home since I came here. You come to Israel, too, and feel at home. You have friends in Israel,” Ben-Eliezer told the businessmen. Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül, who co-chaired the meeting on behalf of the Turkish side, said Turkey had a long-term perspective regarding its relations with Israel and that it is working to deepen ties. “Israel has a special importance for Turkey. It is important that Turkey and Israel cooperate more extensively,” Gönül said.