Israel-Turkey ties worsen – to Israel’s dismay
The current state of Israeli-Turkish relations has been frustrating to many Israelis who up until recently considered Turkey to be the Jewish State’s most treasured friend in the region. Many Israelis remember growing up in a time when hundreds of thousands of Israelis traveled to Turkey annually, trade between the two countries was blossoming, and the Israeli army sold weapons and traded intelligence with its Turkish counterpart.
Unfortunately, Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayip Erdogan has chosen to turn his back on years of cooperation with Israel and instead has decided to work against Israel by aligning with Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas. The most current ruffle in Israeli-Turkish relations was sparked by Turkey’s insistence that Israel apologize for the death of nine Turkish citizens on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara ship last summer.
My friend Ofer was born in Israel to parents who had immigrated to Israel from Turkey when they were children. Ofer remembers visiting Turkey routinely throughout his life, first as a young boy with his parents, and later on with his wife and kids. “It’s very sad to see what’s happened to Turkey since Erdogan became their president,” Ofer told me. “I had traveled to Turkey many times and was always treated warmly by the Turkish people.
“The Turkish people are very friendly and most of them have fond memories of the large Jewish communities that once dwelled in Turkey,” Ofer stated. But when asked if he would travel back to Turkey again, Ofer replied no. “Turkey used to be a great place to visit, but the way their government deals with Israel, it is clear that we are no longer welcome.”
Ofer is glad that Israel did not grant an apology for the flotilla incident. “Our soldiers were only protecting themselves on those ships. I was once a soldier myself and I know what it’s like to be attacked, and you have only a few seconds to save your life. Our soldiers did the right thing on that ship last summer and our government acted wisely by not apologizing for those deaths.”
Comments (1) »Thursday, September 8th, 2011 at 4:34 PM | Amichai Farkas
Relations between Turkey and Israel further strained
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkey has suspended all defense ties with Israel, though private trade will continue. Erdogan’s announcement followed the release of the Palmer Commission report on the raid of the Mavi Marmara and Israel’s refusal to issue an apology for the incident:
“Trade ties, military ties, regarding defense industry ties, we are completely suspending them. This process will be followed by different measures,” Erdogan told reporters in Ankara on Tuesday morning.
A spokesman for the Turkish PM told the Wall Street Journal a few hours later that these sanctions did not include general trade between the two countries, and rather referred only to defense goods “for now”.
Ankara earlier this week launched a series of penalizing measures, including the severing of military ties, against Israel over the latter’s refusal to apologize for its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in 2010.
Comments (3) »
Tuesday, September 6th, 2011 at 5:14 PM | David Kuner
Turkey expels Israeli diplomats
Relations between Israel and her former ally continue to go downhill:
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Friday Israel’s diplomatic presence in Turkey was being cut to second secretary level, effectively expelling Israeli diplomats after details emerged of the Palmer Report which dealt with the IDF raid on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara ship.
“Turkey-Israel diplomatic relations have been reduced to a second secretary level. All personnel above the second secretary level will return to their countries by Wednesday at the latest,” Davutoglu told a news conference.
Davutoglu said that Turkey was also suspending military agreements after he said that some of the report’s findings were unacceptable.
The Palmer Report, commissioned by the U.N., found Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza to be legal, but also concluded, “An appropriate statement of regret should be made by Israel in respect of the incident in light of its consequences” — meaning the loss of life in 2010 when the IDF raided the flotilla ship the Mavi Marmara. The Israeli blogger A Soldier’s Mother tweets, “Palmer report says Israel should issue statement of regret. Ok – we regret Turkey sent violent psychopaths on an illegal Flotilla.”
That sounds like the only statement of regret necessary in this case.
Comments (9) »Friday, September 2nd, 2011 at 7:47 AM | David Kuner
IDF intercepts Gaza-bound ship
A French ship named “Dignity” carrying 17 anti-Israel activists — the only ship in the so-called “Freedom Flotilla” to set sail for Gaza — was intercepted peacefully by the Israeli Navy. According to the ship’s captain, when he first departed from Greece passengers claimed they were headed to Alexandria, Egypt. Only after leaving the port did they inform him of ther intention to sail towards Gaza.
Israeli marines boarded the French vessel and transferred the passengers to an Israeli ship where they received food and water and were visited by a doctor to determine their physical conditions. The passengers were then taken to Israel’s Ashdod port and were given the option to either leave Israel immediately and return to their home countries, or wait at a detention center for a judge to meet with them.
Comments (1) »Tuesday, July 19th, 2011 at 5:00 PM | Amichai Farkas
“Flytilla” gets grounded
The “Freedom Flotilla” was a bust. And now the Israeli government is sending back to their home countries some of those who participated in the recent “flytilla”: 
Thirty-eight foreign pro-Palestinian activists were deported on Sunday evening.
They had been held in prison since they arrived at Ben-Gurion Airport on Friday planning to participate in a mass fly-in in support of Palestinian statehood.
Thirty-five of the activists were put on a Lufthansa flight to Germany and one was placed on a Alitalia flight on their way to Spain.
Another two activists were sent to Belgium late on Saturday night and four were released after they signed papers promising not to participate in provocative actions against Israel while in the country.
As of Sunday night, 82 activists were still in Israeli prisons awaiting deportation.
Isn’t it great when the good guys win?
Comments (2) »Monday, July 11th, 2011 at 2:55 PM | David Kuner
"informing, equipping and mobilizing individuals and churches to support the
State of Israel"
State of Israel"
Recent Posts
U.S. closes embassy in Syria
Remembering the victims of the 2002 terror war against Israel
It's Photo Friday!
Iran's a joke -- but the world's not laughing
Palestinians throw shoes at U.N. Secretary-General
