Sunday
Dec132009
Middle East Inside Line: Israel Plays "Rope-a-Dope" with Turkey
Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 9:05
It appears that Israel is focusing on maintaining an open channel to Ankara, despite recent tensions. Foreign Ministry spokesman Yossi Levy has stated that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent criticisms of Israel are merely political manoeuvre:
However, beyond the Israeli "keep calm" is a warning that Erdogan is undermining Turkey's interests:
So a bit of "rope-a-dope" from Israel: don't turn Erdogan's public statements into an all-out battle but keep jabbing in the hope that Ankara will see the "real" threats and thus mend fences with Tel Aviv.
The impression [in Israel] is that Turkey's prime minister is constantly attacking Israel and working to bring Turkey closer to the extreme wing of the Middle East.
The string of statements [by Erdogan] and the line he has consistently taken bring us to the conclusion that this is a strategic move.
Turkey: Erdogan Denies Airspace for Any Israel Operations Against Iran
However, beyond the Israeli "keep calm" is a warning that Erdogan is undermining Turkey's interests:
Erdogan is trying to have it all - to satisfy the Islamist appetite of his voting bloc and turn extremist, but also to preserve the stature of Turkey as a moderate Western state that resolves regional conflicts. But it's clear that these two goals contradict each other.
Turkey should be as worried as Israel about the dangers of Iranian nuclear weaponization, because it would directly threaten Turkey's regional and international standing in the long term.
So a bit of "rope-a-dope" from Israel: don't turn Erdogan's public statements into an all-out battle but keep jabbing in the hope that Ankara will see the "real" threats and thus mend fences with Tel Aviv.