Daily Alert Archives

The Importance of Interests in Israel-Turkey Reconciliation

(Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies-Bar-Ilan University) Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror - Israel's once-close relationship with Turkey began losing its luster in 2003, when the Islamist Erdogan was elected prime minister. His backing of the 2010 effort by the Mavi Marmara-led flotilla to break the maritime blockade imposed on Gaza was an attempt by Ankara to expand its reach and become a player in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Erdogan's object was in part to manifest the regime's anti-Israel position, and in part to win political gains within the Arab world or at the very least on the Arab street. A UN commission of inquiry headed by Geoffrey Palmer, an esteemed maritime law expert, stated that under international law, Israel was within its rights to impose a maritime blockade on Gaza, and the naval commandos' raid on the vessel seeking to breach the cordon complied with the enforcement standards allowed under international law. At the end of the day, the Israel-Turkey reconciliation agreement boils down to interests; not trust, and certainly not sympathy. This deal will not usher in a new golden age in Jerusalem-Ankara relations, but it will normalize relations with a major Middle Eastern power. Most importantly, the deal anchors Israel's right to both impose and enforce a maritime blockade on Gaza. The writer is a former Israeli national security advisor and former Director of the Research Division of IDF Military Intelligence.
2016-07-08 00:00:00
Full Article