Closer to home for Israelis, the crisis with Turkey could strengthen Hamas, which controls Gaza, and which Israel and the United States see as a terrorist state. Erdogan, an Islamist, has vigorously defended Hamas from those who say it is a terrorist group that should be isolated.
Erdogan has said that he wants to visit Gaza. If Egypt agrees to let him enter Gaza from its territory, it would represent a victory for Hamas and a further challenge to Israel.
Israel’s relationship with Turkey was psychologically important to Israelis, making them feel connected to the wider Muslim world. Turkey was the first Muslim country to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, in 1949.
“We used to hold up the relationship with Turkey as an example of how Israel can have a relationship with a large Muslim country,” a senior Israeli official told JTA. “We’re certainly concerned about this now.”
The senior official said there are two schools of thought in Israel surrounding Erdogan. One says the deterioration in the relationship is specifically because of the flotilla incident and that if Israel apologized, the relationship would return to what it was.
The other school, which seems to be gaining ground, is that Erdogan sees himself as a potential leader of the Islamic world and is leading Turkey to become more Islam-identified. If true, the flotilla incident is just an excuse to downgrade ties with Israel.
It seems unlikely the relationship will improve anytime soon. Liel, the former ambassador, says a similar incident happened in 1980 after Israel passed the Jerusalem Law formalizing Israel’s unilateral annexation of East Jerusalem, which was captured in 1967.
Turkey then reacted exactly as it did this week – downgrading ties to the level of second secretary. Liel, then a second secretary, was sent to Ankara.
“For the five years I was there I couldn’t do anything,” he said. “Turkish officials wouldn’t even come to Israel Independence Day celebrations.”
It took 12 years for Turkey to agree to reinstate the Israeli ambassador. After the 1991 Madrid peace conference, Turkey reinstated the Israeli ambassador and accepted the Palestine Liberation Organization’s ambassador.
Israeli officials say they hope this time it won’t take 12 years to get their ambassador back to Turkey.
(JTA)
