IS IT TURKEY OR ISRAEL THAT IS CHANGING?
Semih Idiz
Hurriyet Daily News
Oct 23 2009
Turkey
Is Turkey changing direction in its foreign policy toward a more
"Islamist orientation?" This is the question on many minds today.
Judging by some Israeli commentators – who clearly have an axe to
grind with the Erdogan government – there is little doubt that this
is the case.
The proof for those who believe this is provided by the relations
developing with Syria and Iraq. Ankara’s strong position on operation
"Cast Lead" – an incursion against the people of Gaza – is also taken
as further proof to justify this contention.
All of these developments, when bunched together, are taken as
an indication that the "secularists" have lost in Turkey, and the
"Islamists" have won. Nothing could be more simplistic than this
approach. Nothing demonstrates better the fact that those who say
these things are approaching Turkey with their self-imposed blinkers
and missing the meaning and significance of what is taking shape in
Ankara’s foreign policy.
Before going into that, though, it is true that the Erdogan
government’s sympathies do not rest with Israel, but with the
Palestinians. It is also clear that this government feels close to
the Islamic states in the region and vice versa.
But if it is the case that Turkey’s foreign policy is taking a more
"Islamic" direction, then how does one explain the opening to Armenia,
which is not only a Christian country but one with whom there is
historic enmity. There is also the fact that Armenian forces today
occupy a third of Azerbaijan, which is not just an Islamic country,
but a relative of Turkey’s in terms of ethnicity, language and culture.
Would an administration that is moving in an Islamist direction risk
its ties with a "brotherly Islamic country" in this way? The simple
fact is that while Israel remains in a static position, and on a
permanent war footing in terms of its neighbors, Turkey has been
trying over the past decade to improve its ties with its neighbors,
some of whom – like Syria – had also brought Ankara to the brink of
war due to the support provided for PKK terrorists.
The Erdogan government has sped up this positive process now and
is developing ties that were neglected in the Middle East. Israel
may not like this, but who ever said that Turkey’s foreign policy is
indexed to what Israel likes or dislikes – regardless of how negative
and right-wing the administration in that country may be?
The simple fact is that many Israelis live in a bubble, assuming that
their country is somewhere in North America – perhaps even one of the
states in the U.S. – and therefore there is no need to take overall
regional stability into consideration.
As the continuing illegal settlements show, it is also clear that
hard-line Israelis have an agenda that they are prepared to pursue
to the end, regardless of what this does for overall stability in
the Middle East. But this is the geography that Israel will live in
forever. In other words, its neighbors are never going to be France or
the U.S. Israelis are stuck in a geography that will always influence
their daily lives one way or another.
Turkey is also stuck with its geography. It had problems with Greece,
Bulgaria, Syria and Iraq. But Ankara accepted the fact that this
geography was never going to change and decided to try and encircle
itself with friendly countries.
Needless to say this required diplomatic efforts and a genuine
spirit of compromise. The "Armenian opening" is just the latest
example in this chain, and the government is pushing for this
rapprochement against angry criticism from the opposition at home
and from Azerbaijan.
It is thus showing an honest desire to move bravely in the direction
of regional stability.
Israel on the other hand, has gone in the opposite direction. No one
is talking about peace anymore in that country. Those that do are
shouted down. The Israeli government, even when it pays lip service
to the notion of an independent Palestinian state, clearly does not
believe in it.
On the other hand, when it is told to stop illegal settlements on
lands that belong to others, it basically tells the world where it
can go. I think the Hebrew word for this is "chutzpah." But when
developments take an unexpected turn, as in the case of relations
with Turkey, then Israel does not understand what is going on, and
can only cope with this by clinging to the simplest of arguments:
"Turkey is going Islamist."
Yet Ankara has not toned down its ties with the U.S. Both sides are
not just talking about their re-energized strategic ties, but are in
close and increasing cooperation on a host of issues pertaining to the
Middle East, the Caucasus and places further afield, like Afghanistan
and Pakistan. Foreign Minister Davutoglu has even gone on the record as
saying that Turkish-U.S. ties will be entering their best period ever.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s ties with the EU, for all the difficulties that are
being experienced, are also continuing uninterruptedly. If anything,
these ties are getting better because of the positive interest and
attention that Ankara’s new foreign policy initiatives – which Israel
dislikes – are attracting in Europe.
Put briefly, Turkey is not currently emerging as a disruptive,
incommunicative and generally negative country. It is Israel that
unfortunately appears to be so. Even the government’s new and brave
efforts to solve its own terrorism problem with the PKK are attracting
attention, and signaling a new Turkey.
Looking at the overall picture, therefore, one might venture to
suggest that it is in fact Israel that is changing – and moving
towards a more right-wing, uncompromising and religiously motivated
direction – and not Turkey. It is also Israel that is today accused
by the international community of committing war crimes – together
with Hamas – and not Turkey.
Many Israelis – not all and certainly not my friends in that country –
have worked themselves up into such frenzy over the "Turkish question,"
that they appear not to be in a position to see and take note of
these simple facts.