ARMY QUITS HANDS-OFF POLICY IN ISRAEL ROW

Today’s Zaman
Feb 16 2009
Turkey

The General Staff said Israeli Land Forces Commander Avi Mizrahi’s
remarks could "damage national interests between the two countries."

The military, the driving force behind Turkey’s cordial relations with
Israel, had remained on the sidelines as a war of attrition deepened
between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Jewish state in
the aftermath of the prime minister’s dramatic Jan. 29 walkout in
Davos in protest of Israel’s Gaza policies.

But this weekend, the General Staff may have alarmed Israel — which
had considered the military’s hands-off policy a comforting sign that
the Turkish government was not backed by the state establishment in
its fierce criticism of Israeli policies — by breaking its silence
to chide an Israeli commander over what it said were unacceptable
charges against Turkey.

When Erdogan stormed off the Davos panel after telling Israeli
President Shimon Peres that he knows "very well how to kill people,"
the military avoided getting involved in the debate, saying only
that it acts "in line with national interests" in its relations with
militaries of other countries. It was less a sign that Erdogan’s
sentiments were shared in the military headquarters and more a
declaration that cooperation with Israel would remain unaffected by
the growing spat with the prime minister.

But the military has red lines on the basis of which it defines
Turkey’s national interests, and Israeli Land Forces Commander
Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi appears to have crossed these lines when he
urged Erdogan to "look in the mirror" before attacking Peres over
Israel’s 22-day offensive in Gaza. He was quoted by Israeli daily
Haaretz as saying that Turkey, which, he said, massacred Armenians
during the World War I era, represses Kurds in the modern day and
stations troops in northern Cyprus, was in no position to criticize
Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands.

In a statement that came even before any move was made by the Foreign
Ministry, the General Staff said Mizrahi’s remarks were untrue and
completely unacceptable and demanded that the Israeli military provide
an explanation. Suggesting that military cooperation with Israel could
be at stake, the statement said, "The comments have been assessed at
the kind of level that could damage the national interests between
the two countries."

Although Turkey and Israel are partners in trade and Turkey
is a popular destination for Israeli tourists, the backbone of
Turkish-Israeli ties is the military cooperation between the two
countries.

Their cooperation includes modernization by Israel of the combat tanks
used by the Turkish military, sale of Israeli military equipment,
including unmanned vehicles for military patrol of the border with
Iraq against infiltrations by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party
(PKK), and permission for Israel to use Turkish air space for training
purposes.

About an hour after the General Staff’s statement, the Foreign
Ministry said it had summoned the Israeli ambassador over Mizrahi’s
comments. The ministry called in Israeli Ambassador Gabby Levy in
protest of the comments. "The relevant statements of [Maj. Gen.] Avi
Mizrahi are ungrounded and unacceptable and as such we have requested
an urgent explanation from Israeli authorities," the ministry said
in a statement. "The Israeli ambassador was indeed called in and
heard the Turkish objection, and it was passed on to Jerusalem,"
a spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry said.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) was swift in disowning Mizrahi’s
remarks, which were made at an international conference. In a statement
later that day, the IDF said the remarks could be interpreted as
criticism of Turkey’s past. "The IDF spokesperson wishes to clarify
that this is not the official position of the IDF," it said.

The issues Mizrahi mentioned in his remarks are all very sensitive
to Turkey, and its military, often in contrast to the government’s
more liberal stance, promotes a strictly nationalist policy on all
the three issues. In the end, it is the military that enforces the
policy towards the PKK, stations troops in Cyprus and, although it took
place at the time of the Ottoman Empire, it was military commanders
who oversaw the mass deportations of Armenians in eastern Anatolia.

But experts say the rare criticism of Israel by the Turkish military
does not mean the military has changed its mind on its cooperation with
the IDF. "The General Staff’s reaction is not so surprising," said
Ozdem Sanberk, a former undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry. "The
Israeli remarks, which are quite controversial, came from a member
of the Israeli army. Thus, it is natural that the Turkish General
Staff exhibits the reaction that it regards necessary."

Erdogan’s outburst in Davos boosted support for his Justice and
Development Party (AK Party) ahead of the local elections in March
29. Although there is little evidence that the military is equally
impressed by Erdogan’s fierce criticism of Israel over its treatment
of the Palestinians, the General Staff’s statement on Saturday is a
sign that the government and the military do not differ as much as
some in Israel may have expected.

"Military relations are a component of foreign policy, like business
ties, and it is not possible for the military to assume a different
policy in its relationship with another country’s military in way that
would deviate from the governmental policy," said Nihat Ali Ozcan,
a lecturer from the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey
(TEPAV).

Turkish experts warn that the tension in Turkish-Israeli ties could
be irreparable if it is not contained. And deterioration in ties will
serve neither Turkey nor Israel, but an unexpected actor — Iran —
says Sanberk. "From now on, Israel and Turkey have to manage well
the tension between them if they do not want Iran, which is a very
professional chess player in diplomacy, to increase its clout in the
region," he said.

[*] Emine Kart in Ankara contributed to reporting.