by Peter Lyukimson, Israel, exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
The normalization of relations with Turkey and the price it costs has been the central topic of Israeli politics. According to Israeli media, it is associated with the visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Washington.
According to the Israeli prime minister’s chancellery, the visit has become a reality because Turkey and Israel started normalizing ties. Before that, President Barack Obama had been declining meetings with the Turkish leader. On the other hand, Erdogan is summoned for persuasion to take it easy with Israel and stop being over-stubborn.
At the same time, Israel notes that the White House administration supports Erdogan and his efforts to turn Turkey into a presidential republic, which is reflected in pressure against Israel. According to this theory, the Americans are interested in the higher popularity of the Turkish premier and it is as a result of the apologies by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Erdogan’s demands to be recognized as a mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have provoked outrage both in Israel and the US. No one has ever promised Erdogan such authority. Clearly, Washington will try to talk Erdogan out of visits to Gaza and demands an end to the Gaza blockade, especially in the light of recent missile attacks on Israel. It should be noted that Turkey has made a concession, nonetheless. It stopped persecution of Israeli military involved in the Mavi Marmara incident.
The main topics of normalization of Turkish-Israeli relations will be discussed during negotiations of April 11. Attendance of General Yaakov Amidror, Netanyahu’s advisor for national security, shows that the talks will not only touch upon the sum of compensations to families whose relatives were killed on Marmara, but military and political cooperation as well.
US President Barack Obama said during the visit to Israel that he will not allow attacks on Iran through Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to save petroleum states from a counter-attack. Thus, the attack can only be made by Turkey, a state that understands that, whether with Israel or not, confrontation with Iran is inevitable. The US demanded Israel to take Turkey’s side if the conflict in Syria causes an impact on Turkish interests. Israeli authorities hesitate, because interference in Syria is what they fear most and would only take such steps if it is a matter of national interests.
Another problem is exports of Israeli gas to Turkey and Europe. Israel wants to sell Turkey gas, but, with account of the current state of relations, it prefers to build a gas pipeline running to Cyprus and Greece, depriving Turkey of dividends. Turkey has already expressed disappointment with the plans and said that it will prevent their realization.
There are more than enough problems in Israeli-Turkish relations. They can hardly be solved in 1-2 rounds of talks or even several rounds. The most important mission is to start the process.
