Küresel Gözlem: The Israel’s Apology to Turkey and The Turkey-Israel Relations

The Israel’s Apology to Turkey and The Turkey-Israel Relations

Introduction

Turkey was the first country to recognize Israel in the Middle East. Israel was founded in 1948. Since that time until 2010, the relations with Turkey had problems, but maintained a normal level. On May 31 2010, Israel attacked the Turkish ships carrying aid products that was sent to Gaza. 9 Turkish citizens were killed, about 60 people were injured.[1] Because of that incident , Turkish-Israel relations were negatively affected. In order to maintain the normal relationship, Israel and Turkey suggested some international law policies. In this context, Turkey requested Israel to apologize, pay compensation to the families of victims, and remove the inhumane blockade of Gaza. After the attack, Turkey's ambassador to Tel Aviv City Center has reduced the diplomatic relations with Israel.[2]

Due to the Jewish methodology of war, Israel was left alone in the middle east. The Arab Spring began in Tunisia led to overthrow of governments in many Arab countries. One of the negative effects of the Arab Spring is that Israel is in good relations with Egypt before Muhammad Mursi came to power.[3]

The Reasons Behind Israel Apology

Israel has lost its good relations with Egypt and Turkey. Hezbollah in Lebanon has gain power which led to Israel's security concerns. Moreover, Turkey's increasing power, being upright and stable in the face of Israel, Israel is still against the apology. Due to conflicts between two countries, United States of America was disturbed.[4]

"Prime Minister Netenyahu, during the President Obama’s visit to Israel on 22 March 2013, telephoned Prime Minister Erdoğan, in light of the Israel’s investigation into the Marmara incident, expressed Israel’s apology to the Turkish people for any mistakes led to the loss of life or injury. On behalf of the Turkish people, Prime Minister Erdoğan accepted this apology. Israel accepted paying compensation to the families of the victims. It pledged that restrictions regarding the entry of civilian goods into the Palestinian territories, including Gaza, had been substantially lifted and that this would continue as long as calm prevails. Within this framework, the two leaders agreed to work together to improve the situation in the Palestinian territories."[5]

The Future of Turkey-Israel

After the apology of the Israel, the Turkish-Israel relations is less tensed. However, relations still seem to be fragile due to aggressive policies followed by Israel's security concerns. The Turkish-Israeli trade volume exceeded $4 billion in 2012. Normalization of relations with Israel and Turkey will create a significant increase in the number of tourists coming to Turkey.[6]

Evaluation and Results

Israel's apology to Turkey is important for the normalization of relations with Israel. As long as Israel continued improvement of relations with Turkey, there will be a quiet air. This improvement will reflect positively on trade and tourism areas. In spite of Israel's apology, a fragile relations of the two countries was seen. Turkey-Israel relations will determine the course of peace and security.

Burak Geçkin