On the Turkish side, the architect of agreements signed in 1996 that have forged military and defense industry cooperation between Turkey, overwhelmingly Muslim but secular by Constitution, and Israel, a Jewish state having few friends in the volatile Middle East region, has been then-Deputy Chief of General Staff retired Gen. Çevik Bir. Current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, coincidentally, was previously Israeli prime minister at the time. The agreements were made possible under the blessing of the US. The ruling coalition government in Turkey was headed by pro-Islamist Necmettin Erbakan, who was forced to resign in 1997 by a military-engineered post-modern coup on Feb. 28. Erbakan was obliged to sign the Turkish-Israeli military agreements.
In the past several years, though, Turkish-Israeli economic and political ties have seen considerable improvement, despite ups and downs in relations due to Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in general, and its Gaza offensive early this year in particular, during which over 1,500 civilians died.
The Davos summit in late January had also witnessed an unpleasant encounter between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Israeli President Shimon Peres. Erdoğan walked out of the summit in annoyance at the moderator’s reluctance to give him the floor when he sought to continue saying “One minute.”
The Turkish government’s decision to exclude Israel at the last minute from the Anatolian Eagle multinational military exercise last month despite the Turkish military’s consent has further severely strained relations as a war of words among the political actors of both countries has continued.
Against this backdrop, Shimon Peres, a veteran Israeli politician, recently made an awkward statement to US-based Defense News magazine that can be read as a reflection of his disappointment that the “good old days during which Israel enjoyed good military relations with Turkey, immune from any Turkish political influence, have come to an end.”
According to Peres, the Turkish military has preserved democracy in Turkey adding, however, that the military’s role has now changed. Now the question mark is whether Erdoğan will lead its Muslim population towards democracy or whether democratic forces in Turkey would prefer a more Islamic state in the country, Peres said.
Peres’ remarks are not only an open challenge to Turkey’s outspoken approach towards Israel’s Palestinian policies but also a reflection of Israel’s disappointment over a change in the balance of power in Turkey in favor of the civilians. Peres is very well aware of the fact that five different sorts of military coups in Turkey have prevented democracy to flourish. In addition, the recently revealed coup attempts currently subject to court hearings are themselves proof that the Turkish military has inflicted a serious blow on any effort to improve democratic standards in Turkey.
I advice a veteran statesman like Peres to be honest and fair in his evaluations of Turkey if his country is seeking to restore relations with its only true friend in this region where rigid policies do not allow any room for maneuver in a compromise.
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