Israeli government heals internal rift over talks with Turkey

Netanyahu agreed that he had made a mistake by not informing Lieberman of the meeting between Davutoğlu and Israeli Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer at a Brussels hotel and he and Lieberman agreed to work in coordination to prevent such disagreements in the future, according to reports in Israeli media.

Lieberman reacted furiously to reports of the secret meeting without his prior knowledge. He said the way the meeting had been arranged had damaged his relationship with Netanyahu and undermined his authority. “This is an insult to the norms of accepted behavior and a heavy blow to the confidence between the foreign minister and the prime minister,” a statement from Lieberman’s office said after reports revealed talks had taken place between Davutoğlu and Ben-Eliezer.

Lieberman is both furious because the meeting took place without his knowledge and consent and opposes the idea of talks with the Turkish government because it will do nothing to ease tensions that beset Turkish-Israeli ties since Israeli commandos killed eight Turks and an American aboard an aid ship trying to break the blockade of Gaza during a May 31 raid in international waters. There were reports that Ben-Eliezer had agreed that Israel should pay compensation to the families of the victims during the meeting, a prospect Lieberman firmly rejects. Lieberman told Netanyahu that should Israel agree to pay compensation, it would suffer a serious blow to its standing in the region, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Turkey demands an official apology and compensation for the families of the victims as a precondition to ties returning to normal, saying ties would otherwise continue to deteriorate. Turkish sources told Today’s Zaman that Davutoğlu told Ben-Eliezer that Turkey could extend a ban on Israeli military flights over its airspace to civilian flights as an additional sanction if Israel refuses to offer and apology and compensation. Ben-Eliezer later denied having promised compensation during talks with Davutoğlu, the private ANKA news agency reported on Friday.

Ben-Eliezer is a staunch advocate in Netanyahu’s coalition government of maintaining ties with Turkey, a position that puts him at odds with the hawkish Lieberman. In remarks that came soon after the news of the secret meeting between Ben-Eliezer and Davutoğlu, Lieberman accused Netanyahu of coordinating the Brussels meeting with both Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Washington but neglecting to even inform the Foreign Ministry, according to Haaretz. Netanyahu has said the neglect was to be blamed on a “technical mishap.”

But despite the disagreements, Lieberman said he had no intention to quit the government. “We will not provide this pleasure to anybody,” he told Israel Radio on Thursday.

Domestic controversy in Ankara

The secret meeting sparked a controversy in Ankara as well, where some criticized the secrecy and others accused the government of agreeing to such talks under pressure from the US.

Responding to questions on the meeting, President Abdullah Gül defended Davutoğlu, saying there was no problem with a foreign minister meeting with representatives of a foreign government amid tensions. “Foreign ministers make such contacts even at times of war. There is a serious problem, a problem that needs to be resolved. We have expectations as well,” Gül said, noting that there is nothing wrong with holding such a meeting when the request comes from the other party. “What is important is what was discussed,” he said.

Turkish officials dismiss media reports that US President Barack Obama, who finds himself in a difficult position due to the rift between the two vital allies, pressured Turks and Israelis to hold talks to repair their damaged ties. They insist that the request came from the Israeli side.

Addressing Parliament late on Thursday, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu dismissed the reports of US intervention once again. “Our vote at the UN Security Council [against sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program] shows that Turkey does not act under pressure from a foreign country,” he told the lawmakers, adding that Ben-Eliezer requested the meeting as an envoy of Prime Minister Netanyahu. “They said they would convey a message from Netanyahu,” he said.

Commenting on the content of discussions with Ben-Eliezer, the foreign minister said he had repeated the criticism of Israel that Turkey has been publicly making since the May 31 raid during the Brussels meeting. “Our demands were openly conveyed to the Israeli side,” Davutoğlu said, emphasizing that Turkey would not hesitate to impose additional sanctions on Israel if it refuses to take conciliatory steps.