Israel and Turkey Patch Up Latest Rift
By SEBNEM ARSU
Published: January 13, 2010
Istanbul — Acting at the behest of senior officials, Israel’s deputy foreign minister issued on Wednesday a second apology to Turkey for publicly embarrassing its ambassador in a televised meeting earlier this week. It apparently resolved the latest in a series of tiffs between the two countries, whose once close relations have been strained since the Israeli military operation in Gaza last year.
After a first, measured apology from the Israeli diplomat, Danny Ayalon, Turkey’s president, Abdullah Gul, had threatened earlier on Wednesday to recall the ambassador unless Ankara received an official apology from the senior Israeli leadership.
“We expect the authorities in Israel to straighten out this issue,” , the semiofficial Anatolian News Agency quoted Mr. Gul saying. “If they fail to do that by the end of today, the ambassador will return to Turkey and brief us.”
A formal letter of apology from Mr. Ayalon was handed to the Turkish ambassador, Ahmet Oguz Celikkol, on Wednesday evening. The apology was coordinated with the office of the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, which released a statement saying that Israel “hopes this brings the affair to an end.”
The statement added: “The prime minister’s stand throughout the incident was consistent — he backed the protest but had reservations over the way it was done.
"The prime minister once again expressed his concern over the fact that Turkey and Israel are moving apart and has instructed professional elements to prevent the conflict from going on."
On Monday, Mr. Ayalon had invited Mr. Celikkol to a meeting to receive Israeli complaints over a Turkish television series aired on a public channel that depicted Israeli agents and soldiers as brutal, news reports said.
Mr. Ayalon also invited Israeli television crews to film the meeting, at which he kept Mr. Celikkol waiting in an entry room to his office, then seated him in a low sofa and refused to shake his hand.
“The important thing is that people see that he’s low and we’re high and that there is no flag here,” Mr. Ayalon said to the cameras, speaking in Hebrew, which Mr. Celikkol does not understand, without seeming to know that his comments were being recorded.
When one photographer asked for a handshake, Mr. Ayalon responded, “No. That’s the whole point.”
The video was broadcast on mainstream networks in both countries, causing public outrage.
Mr. Ayalon’s first statement of regret was immediately rejected by Turkey.
“My protest against the attacks on Israel in Turkey remains valid,” the statement said. “Nevertheless, it is not my way to disrespect an ambassador’s honor, and in the future I will clarify my position in a diplomatically acceptable manner.”
Israeli news media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he approved of Mr. Ayalon’s initial statement as well as his protests to the Turkish ambassador, though he wished the deputy foreign minister had acted in a more diplomatic manner.
Appearing before the Israeli Parliament Wednesday evening before his second apology, Mr. Ayalon had remained defiant, telling legislators that he thought “Israel will eventually benefit, and I believe that the relations between Israel and Turkey will also benefit” from the exchange.
Israeli commentators expressed embarrassment Wednesday at Mr. Ayalon’s actions, sometimes calling them amateurish and infantile. Many not only regretted what he did but also considered it a failed opportunity because they believe that the tone of public discourse in Turkey has turned harshly anti-Israel since the Gaza war.
Historically strong relations between the two countries became strained last year after Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, strongly criticized the war in Gaza and walked out of a conference with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The rift has never been repaired, and Mr. Erdogan remains a frequent critic of Israel.
During a news conference with the Lebanese prime minister, Saad Hariri, on Monday, to cite the most recent example, he said the Israelis, “have disproportionate capabilities and power and they use them.” He added that “they do not abide by U.N resolutions,” and “they say they will do what they like.” .Mr. Erdogan has also expressed support for Iran’s pursuit of a peaceful nuclear program and has argued that the West follows a double standard by ignoring Israel’s nuclear arsenal.
The tenor of his remarks, along with diplomatic overtures to Iran and Syria, have concerned Turkey’s Western allies, including Israel, who question whether Turkey’s apparent shift indicates a growing anti-Western aspect in its foreign policy.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry denies there has been any change in its foreign policy, and often reiterates that its only strategy is to build a stronger regional alliance to work more effectively for peace.
Israel has grown increasingly alarmed at what it considers a campaign aimed at undermining its very existence both from Muslim countries and from the elites in some Western ones.
Mr. Ayalon’s attitude, in that respect, stemmed in part from Mr. Lieberman’s instruction at a recent meeting of Israel’s diplomats in Jerusalem to take a more aggressive approach to countering what he perceives as attacks on Israel’s honor and legitimacy.
It is also part of a quick-response approach broadly used by the government of Mr. Netanyahu both to rocket attacks and to verbal ones.
But the tension with Turkey goes beyond that. The militaries of the two countries have a strong strategic alliance and Mr. Ayalon’s expressed regret over his actions was likely prompted by anger within the Israeli military establishment which threatened to jeopardize that relationship.
Ethan Bronner contributed reporting from Jerusalem.
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