Turkey and Israel sparred in a diplomatic showdown this week, providing one more sign these traditional allies are moving apart. The diplomatic brouhaha centered on the treatment Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon gave the Turkish ambassador. Ayalon called the ambassador in to protest the broadcast of a Turkish television program called "The Valley of the Wolves" that portrayed Israeli Mossad agents kidnapping Muslim children. This program followed another TV dramatic series called "Ayrilik" that aired not long ago depicting Israeli soldiers executing innocent Palestinians by firing squad. These anti-Semitic programs are just some of the latest examples of the way Turkey is turning against Israel.
But as the week unfolded, the attention turned away from Turkey’s actions but instead towards Ayalon’s treatment of his diplomatic counterpart. Ayalon made clear his displeasure through a number of unmistakable diplomatic signs. With cameras rolling, the Turkish Ambassador was made to wait outside. When he came into Ayalon’s office, he was made to sit in a lower chair, in front of a table with an Israeli flag but with no Turkish flag on display with no traditional handshakes or smiles offered. Turkey responded in kind. It threatened to withdraw its Ambassador unless a formal apology was issued. On Thursday Ayalon apologized but the diplomatic furor hid an underlying reality Ayalon hoped to uncover: not only is Turkey becoming more brazenly anti-Semitic, Turkey is shifting sharply away from the West and moving towards the Islamic republic of Iran and its allies. Israel and Turkey have had strong ties for years, a strategy based on shared interests and security challenges by the Mediterranean allies. But all that may be changing.
Historically, Turkey has straddled the line between East and West. It’s seen in its very geography. The Bosporus Straights run through its capitol, Istanbul, with Europe on one side and Asia on the other. The divide represents the two competing world views Turkey faces, Islam or a secular society. It’s clear the direction Turkey is heading now.
Professor Efraim Inbar of the Begin Sadat Center for Strategic Studies told us the current troubles between Israel and Turkey are just one sign of shifting loyalties. He says recently Turkey, “'Invited' (Iran’s President) Ahmadinejad to visit Turkey, which is a deviation from the western policy.They also invited the Sudanese president to visit Turkey. They side with Hamas even in contrast to the behavior of the moderate Arab states.”
Inbar feels the roots of this shift came several years ago. “A new party came to power in 2002, which has Islamic roots, which has some kind of Islamic identity and as a result of the domestic preferences they want to become closer to the Muslim bloc.”
Israeli commentator Michael Freund made the same point in his Jerusalem Post article today: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1263147884942&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull
“Indeed, his (Ayalon’s) critics are missing the mark. Like it or not, Turkey has been steadily embracing a more radical stance ever since Recep Tayyip Erdogan's (Turkey’s Prime Minister) rise to power earlier this decade. Under his stewardship, the once proudly secular and pro-western country has shifted gears, cozying up to the likes of radical states such as Iran and Syria. In the past year, Turkey has openly defended Teheran’s nuclear program, signed various cooperation agreements with Damascus and moved to expand trade and cultural ties with the two rogue regimes.
And in the process, it has increasingly demonstrated outright hostility and antagonism toward the Jewish state. Take, for example, Erdogan's remarks this past Monday at a joint news conference in Ankara with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri. With barely-concealed contempt, Erdogan said that Israel "threatens global peace" and enjoys "disproportionate power," and asserted that the IDF had attacked Palestinian civilians in Gaza with white phosphorus shells, which he labeled "weapons of mass destruction." During his tirade, Erdogan also condemned Israel for defending itself by carrying out an air strike in Gaza Sunday in which three Islamic jihad terrorists planning attacks against Israelis were killed. "What is your excuse this time?" he said, as if we owe him an explanation.”
Inbar believes Turkey’s relations with the Jewish state reflect a litmus test to other Western countries. He warns, though, that it’s not just a problem for Israel but for the West, the U.S. and NATO. This week’s diplomatic furor may subside but Turkey’s change in allegiances will have a profound impact on the future of the Middle East, something Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon meant to reveal all along.