[NEWS ANALYSIS] Defense minister becomes target of AK Party deputies

Gönül has served as defense minister since Nov. 3, 2002, when the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) was swept to power after a crushing victory in parliamentary elections. His defense policies are, however, currently being questioned by AK Party deputies. Most believe the minister was mistaken in military treaties and projects with Israel.

While the AK Party deputies say the government should use the existing 16 military treaties with Israel as a trump card against this country, Gönül disagrees and believes Turkey should maintain military cooperation with Israel.

Turkish-Israeli ties have grown worse than ever after Israeli navy commandos killed nine Turkish peace activists aboard the Mavi Marmara aid ship on May 31. The ship was taking humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip, which has suffered from a harsh economic embargo imposed by Israel and Egypt since 2007.

The AK Party government is willing to drive Israel into a corner for its brutal attack on the aid ship by threatening to cancel all military treaties and projects. Gönül, however, made a statement on June 1 in which he underestimated the significance of Turkey’s military cooperation with Israel. “We do not have significant [military] projects with Israel. We no longer have any serious projects. Israel recently handed over four Herons. They are currently being tested. Projects related to the Airborne Warning and Control System [AWACS] and radar are about to be completed. … Sustainability is fundamental to a state.

A [diplomatic] crisis with Israel would not impact the Heron project,” he said, implying that Turkey would never cancel military treaties with Israel.

On June 7, however, Gönül said Turkey has “many” military treaties with Israel. He said the authority related to the treaties lies in the hands of the Foreign Ministry, and that his ministry has not yet received any request to cancel the treaties with Israel. “Even if they are military treaties, the treaties concern the Foreign Ministry. We will discuss them if they are forwarded to the government. We will also discuss them if they are sent to us [the Defense Ministry]. The Foreign Ministry has not forwarded any such request to cancel them,” he said. His inconsistency has drawn the ire of AK Party deputies.

AK Party Deputy Chairman Ömer Çelik, however, said Turkey had decided to cancel all relations with Israel, including military treaties, as part of a new roadmap in ties with Israel. Similarly, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said the future of Turkish-Israeli relations lies in the hands of Israel, and its attitude related to the aid ship raid would determine the fate of military cooperation between the two countries.

According to the ruling party deputies, Gönül’s statements have come to undermine the credibility of other government officials’ remarks on Turkish-Israeli relations.

Gönül too weak to react to Israeli deceit

In the wake of a harsh response to Israeli violence on the Gaza-bound aid ship, Israel’s defense ministry decided to withdraw the operators who were training Turkish pilots on how to fly the Herons.

Gönül’s ministry, however, remained rather calm in the wake of the Israeli move, with the minister settling for saying: “Our staff can fly the Herons themselves. I do not think there will be any problems.”

Many AK Party deputies reportedly told Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that they were disappointed by Gönül’s lack of reaction to Israel on the Heron issue. They also said they were highly disturbed to see the defense minister attending a wedding ceremony on Saturday instead of attending the funeral ceremony of 23-year-old Pınar Akdağ, the slain wife of a lieutenant.

Akdağ was killed on June 11 when suspected Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorists launched a rocket that hit a military housing complex in the southern province of Osmaniye.

The young woman was buried in İzmir on Saturday. Among the attendees of her funeral were Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ and former military chief retired Gen. Hilmi Özkök.