GAZA HAUNTS TURKISH-ISRAELI STRATEGIC TIES
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"We hope that the situation in Gaza will be improved, that the
situation will be back to the diplomatic track," Davutoglu said.
CAIRO – Several months on, Israel’s savage onslaught against the
impoverished, sealed-off Gaza Strip continues to haunt its once
"strategic" relations with heavyweight Turkey.
"We hope that the situation in Gaza will be improved, that the
situation will be back to the diplomatic track," Turkish Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told CNN.
The Turkish military said last week the international section of the
"Anatolian Eagle" air exercises, carried out annually since 2001,
had been delayed.
Tel Aviv said the drills were scrapped after Ankara excluded Israel,
a decision which prompted the US and Italy to pull out.
The war games are important for Israel as they provide an opportunity
for its aircraft to train in a vast air space unavailable in Israel.
Turkey had earlier linked the Israel decision to "a technical matter"
but Davutoglu acknowledged the link to the Gaza war.
"And that will create a new atmosphere in Turkish-Israeli relations
as well. But in the existing situation, of course, we are criticizing
this approach, [the] Israeli approach."
More than 1,400 people, including 437 children and hundreds of other
civilians, were killed and 5,450 wounded in three weeks of air,
sea and land attacks.
A report last month by the UN’s human rights council accused Israel
of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the war.
The war cast a shadow over Turley’s once-flourishing relations
with Israel.
Davutoglu cancelled plans to visit Israel in September after he was
denied permission to visit the Gaza Strip.
Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of committing genocide
in Gaza Strip and wants its officials to be tried for war crimes.
In January, he confronted President Shimon Peres at Davos and told him
"you know well how to kill people."
Crisis
Israel scrambled to contain a with its most important military
relationship in the region.
"The relations between Israel and Turkey are strategic and have
been maintained for dozens of years," Defense Minister Ehud Barak
said Monday.
He warned against further harming Israel’s relations with Turkey.
"Despite all the ups and downs, Turkey continues to be a central figure
in our region; it is unsuitable to be drawn into criticizing it."
Muslim-majority Turkey has been Israel’s chief regional ally since
1996 and has long enjoyed military co-operation with Tel Aviv.
Israeli officials and media outlets have opened fire at Turkey over
the past weeks and even pressed for re-evaluating Israel’s ties
with Ankara.
"It may be that the reality has changed and the strategic ties that
we thought existed have simply ended," a senior official told Haaretz.
"Maybe we need to be the ones who initiate renewed thinking regarding
our ties and must adopt response measures."
Defense officials told the Jerusalem Post they were rethinking arms
sales to Turkey and would end support for Turkey in its efforts to
stop the US Congress voting to declare the mass killing of Armenians
by the Ottoman Turks genocide.
An adamant Turkey asked Israel to show restraint in its reactions.
"Assessments and comments attributed to Israeli officials in the
press are unacceptable," the Foreign Ministry said.
"We invite Israeli officials to common sense in their statements
and attitudes."