Turkey sets ‘Gaza condition’ for military ties with Israel

Israel has extensive defense ties with Turkey, a NATO member and one of the few Muslim nations to have built an alliance with the Jewish state. Yet tension prevails in the ties between Israel and Turkey, particularly since Ankara's harsh criticism of Israel's three-week offensive in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in December and January.

Last week, Israel voiced its disappointment through the media over Turkey's decision to change of a joint international military exercise, which would have also included Israel, into a national military exercise.

Cooperation in the defense field is the engine of bilateral relations between Israel and Turkey. The armies of the countries have cooperated in military training. Israel is one of the two countries with which Turkey has the highest rate of military cooperation, the United States being the other. In addition to military cooperation, Turkey has a large number of joint projects with these two countries in the defense industry.

An exchange of remarks between Israeli and Turkish officials concerning Israel's exclusion from the “Anatolian Eagle” exercises was this week followed by Israeli protests over a Turkish television series about Palestinians, escalating the tension between the two countries. Israel on Thursday summoned a Turkish diplomat to protest the “state-sponsored incitement” by state-owned TRT television's “Ayrılık” (Separation) series, in which actors playing Israeli soldiers and Palestinians fight in street battles in Jerusalem.

 Speaking to reporters at a press conference, Davutoğlu also refuted allegations that the Turkish Foreign Ministry provided official consultancy on the controversial television series, while noting sarcastically that Turkey's agenda has been full of a lot of foreign policy issues to be dealt with, leaving no space or time for him to get involved in a TV series.

“Ayrılık,” a television drama from Turkish state-owned station TRT, which narrates the tragedy in Gaza, has increased tension between Israel and Turkey, with Israel summoning Turkey's acting ambassador to protest the series.

Around this time last year, Turkey had been mediating in indirect talks between Israel and Syria as a country which had the full confidence from both parties involved, Davutoğlu recalled. “Turkey will support every step towards peace but it will also clearly display its position against steps which jeopardize peace. Unfortunately, the attacks on Gaza have dealt a big blow to peace efforts in the Middle East -- particularly in the Israel-Syria talks mediated by Turkey. Consequently, it is not right to look into the relations by looking at the symptoms of a crisis as reflected in the media as a basis.”

Relations between Israel and Turkey took a nosedive after Israel launched its Gaza operation, killing more than 1,300 Palestinians. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan severely criticized Israel, saying it should be barred from the United Nations. He walked out of a World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, after a heated exchange with Israeli President Shimon Peres, telling him, “When it comes to killing, you know very well how to kill.”

Tension rose further when Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi responded to Erdoğan and told him to “look into the mirror” before criticizing Israel. The IDF and the Foreign Ministry later clarified that the general's remarks do not reflect Israel's official stance.

“Ayrılık,” a television drama from Turkish state-owned station TRT, which narrates the tragedy in Gaza, has increased tension between Israel and Turkey, with Israel summoning Turkey's acting ambassador to protest the series.

Ankara was particularly angered that the attacks came only days after a visit to the Turkish capital by then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to discuss peace in the Middle East. At a five-and-a-half-hour-long meeting with Olmert four days before the Gaza operation began, Erdoğan had focused on Turkish-mediated talks between Syria and Israel.

Soon after the start of the Gaza offensive, Syria said it had suspended talks with Israel and then-Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said it was not possible to continue with peace efforts on the Israeli-Syrian track while war raged on along the Israeli-Palestinian track.

Turkey has never favored policies based on tension and it has never gotten involved in unnecessary tension with any other country, Davutoğlu said. “But, while passing through such a sensitive period of time along which there is no effort for peace in the region, Turkey takes pains not to be involved in such a military spectacle. Nobody can expect us to do so while the tragedy in Gaza keeps going on,” he added in an apparent reference to Israel's exclusion from the military exercises.

Palestinians are seen in a tent next to the remnants of their house that was destroyed during Israeli's January offensive in Gaza on Sept. 16, 2009.

“Ending the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, reviving peace efforts -- both on the Palestinian and Israeli-Syrian tracks -- and most importantly reinstating a prevailing spirit of peace in the region... this is what we want,” he said.

Arınç pleased over ‘high rating’

In Manisa, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç, also a state minister responsible for the state-run broadcaster TRT on which the television series subject to Israel's reaction was aired, said on Friday the government did not plan to take any steps to stop the broadcast of the series, noting that TRT is an autonomous institution.

“We didn't produce this series upon the government's request, thus we are not in a position to stop its broadcast if the government calls on us to do so,” Arınç was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency. “Series are broadcast as long as they receive [good] ratings. We look into the issue commercially, like every private television channel does. While the ‘Separation' series was not very well known before, now its ratings have increased to high levels. As a broadcaster, I should say I feel pleased about this. It shows that the ratings will be on top in the upcoming episodes of the series.”

Arınç, meanwhile, also said he was ready to talk to Israeli officials, including Israeli Ambassador to Turkey Gabby Levy who was reportedly planning to visit the Foreign Ministry headquarters to once more convey Israel's unease over the series. Arınç said he would explain to those officials that the government had no intention of favoring anti-Semitism. “The TV series does not have any political target,” he said.

Gül lends support to gov’t

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday of the tensions: "It of course raises the question of the direction of Turkish diplomacy. We hope it is in the direction of strengthening peace and not the extremist forces.

"I hope that what we are seeing here does not signal a fundamental change from the direction Turkey was heading until a year or two ago, and I hope we will return to work together ... to advance peace and security and prosperity in our region," he said.

President Abdullah Gül, meanwhile, expressed his confidence in the policies assumed by the government in regards to relations with Israel. “I'm sure that the government has been dealing with these issues in a most careful way and it will continue doing so,” Gül said, noting that Turkey has had good relations throughout the Middle East, including Israel. “These kinds of things happen from time to time; however, they will not harm the substance of the relations.”

Producer of television series calls Israeli protests ‘absurd' The producer of a television series protested by Israel as “state-sponsored incitement” defied Israeli criticism and said yesterday the television drama, called “Ayrılık” (Separation), would continue to be aired at the state-owned television station TRT. “The Israeli reaction is absurd,” producer Bülent Erdinç told the Anatolia news agency. “Of course we will continue to shoot the series. We have been receiving positive reaction from all segments of society,” he added. Israel on Thursday summoned Turkey's acting ambassador to protest "state-sponsored incitement" by the series, in which actors playing Israeli soldiers and Palestinians fight street battles in Jerusalem. One scene shows a Palestinian father holding a baby above his head and an Israeli soldier deliberately shooting the infant. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the tension with Turkey “raises the question of the direction of Turkish diplomacy. We hope it is in the direction of strengthening peace and not the extremist forces.” Erdinç said the television drama reflected what was going on in the Palestinian territories. “There is a story in ‘Ayrılık' that is inspired by reality. … Is there anything fictitious about what is featured in the series? Isn't it true that what happens in the series actually did happen?” He stated that there have been similar television dramas and movies about the plight of other nations in other countries, such as the Jews in Nazi Germany or the Vietnamese during the Vietnam War, adding that “this is a normal series. It is not normal that they [the Israelis] have reacted so strongly.” Hakan Albayrak, a consultant for the series, also insisted that the series was based on facts, although there were both good people and bad people in the Israeli army. “There are those who slaughter kids, and there are those who do not,” he said. Albayrak also stated that the Israeli reaction was excessive. “They [the Israelis] should refrain from such actions if they cannot tolerate television dramas featuring them. They should not bomb hospitals and kill children,” Albayrak said. İstanbul Today's Zaman