New report, new tune?
Someone who called the defense minister's office this week recounted how, while on hold, he listened as Turkish music played on the line. Was it a new tune, or an old one, or purely coincidence? Right now, there is clearly an effort being made to improve reception on the Jerusalem-Ankara line, but the sounds are still somewhat muffled.
Turkey's centrality in the Middle East is not in question. Memories of the bond we shared conjures up a sense of longing in anyone familiar with the relationship David Ben-Gurion forged between the two countries. When Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was re-elected last month to lead his country for another term, Benjamin Netanyahu sent him a letter of congratulations, a move that opened up a channel for talks between the two capitals, which have recently been hostile toward one another.
Circumstances have changed since the flotilla to Gaza in late May of 2010. Erdogan has expressed disappointment in Syria, and is worried about the spread of Iranian influence in the region, and by events in Lebanon. The new reality has provided a convenient backdrop to the rapprochement talks in New York, in which Israel is being represented by Moshe (Bogey) Ya'alon and Dr. Yossi Ciechanover. Washington supports the moves toward reconciliation, as America has a strategic interest in reducing the friction between her two allies.
Turkey is currently interested in preventing the publication of the United Nation's report on the flotilla. The draft was highly critical of Ankara, while justifying Israel's right to defend itself, but Jerusalem still takes issue with its description of Israel Defense Forces soldiers' actions during the conflict on the deck of the Mavi Marmara. Both countries have managed to agree on one thing -- delaying the report's publication for now. In the end, they seem to be implying, it would be sufficient to submit an outline of the main points to the U.N. secretary general, without getting into too much detail, but that will only happen if Erdogan and Netanyahu manage to come to an agreement.
That hasn't happen yet. Turkey wants a full Israeli apology. Ya'alon and Ciechanover are trying to convince it to make do with less, perhaps an expression of regret and compensation. For several weeks, an Israeli-Turkish agreement has seemed to be just around the corner, but somehow the two sides still haven't made it around the bend.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's harsh statement regarding Turkey on Wednesday gave expression to this situation. It was not a slip of the tongue. The foreign minister, who does not manage any of Israel's sensitive negotiations around the world, came to the conclusion that talks with Turkey will not result in reconciliation. There is no sign of a softening in Ankara's position. Thus, Lieberman decided to hurry up and strike an aggressive, harsh posture against our stubborn partners in dialogue. Public opinion will love this, proving, once again, that politics trumps diplomacy.
