Anti-Israel rally in Turkey
Photo: AP
Honeymoon is over
Turkish-Israeli ties in danger unless trust building measures promptly implemented
The Turkish-Israeli honeymoon has ended. From the 90s up until recent times Israelis flocked to Turkey, while economic and military ties flourished. Yet today, following Turkey’s harsh criticism of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, angry Israelis canceled
more than 70% of travel bookings to Turkey. In any case, they wouldn’t feel so welcomed in many Turkish shops, which displayed signs
expressing anti-Israeli sentiments.
Israel’s Cast Lead operation triggered an unprecedented wave of widespread criticism across Turkey. Solidarity with the suffering fellow Muslim in Gaza, combined with difficult images of civilian casualties led the crowds to the streets in mass protests. Yet accusations did not stop at “disproportionate use of force” by Israel. Rather, demonstrations held in almost every city often turned anti-Semitic in tone, as hordes chanted “Death to Israel, down with the Zionists.”
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan assured Jewish citizens of Turkey that no one would dare harm them. However, support for Hamas positions only added to the rhetoric used by protesters, culminating in hate speech. In recent years, anti-Semitism in Turkey reached unprecedented levels. The PEW’s polling center recently published shocking results on the rise of animosity towards Jews in traditionally tolerant Anatolian culture. According to the research, 76% of Turks hold negative views about Jews and do not wish to be their neighbors. In 2004, 49% expressed this view.
The ever strengthening Islamic media’s criticism of Israel often turned to demonizing Jews as a whole, referring to them in one case as “blood sucking vampires.” Pro-government media deemed the Gaza operation genocide and a crime against humanity. Those same media outlets kept silent when Sudan’s vice president visited Turkey around the same time.
President Abdullah Gul was quick to denounce the racist jargon against Jews. Nevertheless, even in Kayseri, the birthplace of the president, a schoolteacher distributed lokhum (Turkish delight) in the city center to honor the memory of Adolf Hitler, recounting to bystanders his dream about the notorious Nazi leader. Disturbingly enough, no legal action was taken against the schoolteacher, symptomatic of the inaction by the state against hate speech.
Genuine effort necessary
Turkey and Israel, two American allies in the region, enjoyed rapid rapprochement during the post-Cold War era in the absence of the Soviet threat. This period ended on September 11, effectively putting the two countries on different sides of the “clash of civilizations.” Today, as Turkey leans more towards social conservatism and Israel to the nationalist Right, question marks loom over the future of the special relations between the countries.
Social conservatism in the Middle East divides civilizations based on religion. As Bernard Lewis frequently pointed out, the Muslim perception of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is fundamentally a religious one. Increasingly, Turkish public opinion views the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in this light. Animosity against Jews reached such high levels that in case that a Turkish government decides one day to cut diplomatic ties with Israel, it will have wide public backing. Unless trust-building steps are taken promptly, every new round of fighting between Israelis and Palestinians will cause Turkish-Israeli relations to further deteriorate.
Genuine effort is necessary to repair the damage done to the relations. To start with, both countries need to limit harmful public criticism. Turkey was deeply disappointed by Israeli unwillingness to implement several economic projects that will contribute to the livelihood of the Palestinians and enhance the peace process. Israel needs to engage Turkey more by implementing the Erez Industrial Zone and “Peace hospital” projects. Both plans, which were jointly agreed upon, did not materialize largely due to Israel’s foot dragging. If US President Barack Obama does not want the two countries’ relations to deteriorate on his watch, he would do well to oversee the implementation of such projects.
Meanwhile, the Turkish government’s commitment to denouncing anti-Semitism is encouraging. However, Turkey needs to enforce legal action against the ever-growing hate speech in local media that fuels hatred not only against Israel, but also towards Jewish people in general.
Haymi Behar is a columnist and foreign news editor for Turkish-Jewish weekly Shalom
