Friday
Jul022010
Turkey-Israel Mystery: A Secret Meeting with Ankara (Followed by an Israeli Apology?)
Friday, July 2, 2010 at 12:50 
The story started to emerge on Wednesday afternoon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly "trying to quietly mend fences with Turkey", had sent Minister of Industry Benjamin Ben-Eliezer on a secret trip (initally said to be in Ankara, then Zurich, and then confirmed as Brussels) to meet Turkish Foreign Ahmet Davutoglu.The office of Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was horrified:
Turkey Video Special: Prime Minister Erdogan’s 50 Minutes on US Television (29 June)
The foreign minister did not know about the meeting. He considers it a serious matter that the meeting took place without the Foreign Ministry being informed. It is a violation of all normal procedures. It undermines the trust between the foreign minister and the prime minister. The foreign minister intends to clarify the incident.
Reports soon emerged that it was Lieberman who leaked the news of the Ben-Eliezer mission to journalists. Netanyahu's office issued a statement confirming the meeting, without naming the Turkish participant, and explaining that it was initiated by the Turks and was "unofficial". (Lieberman had not been informed beforehand because of a "technical reason".) Turkish officials insisted that the "request came from the Israeli side".
By Thursday, The Jerusalem Post was headlining, "Turkey: Secret Meeting Unsuccessful". The Turks had supposedly asked for an apology for the 31 May raid on the Freedom Flotilla, a UN inquiry into the incident, payment of compensation, and an end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The Post may have written too soon, however. Turkish media are now claiming:
Davutoglu threatened that Israel-Turkey relations may worsen, with Turkey closing its airspace to commerical flights, as well as military ones, should Israel fail to apologize. Ben-Eliezer reportedly answered that Israel is ready to apologize, and even pay the families of those inured in the IDF raid on the Mavi Marmara.
A "Turkish diplomatic source" said, "There will be a second meeting if the Israeli side takes a step toward [meeting] our demands.”
Reader Comments (4)
Netanyahou in an interview to Israeli TV channel 1:
*The Turkish FM and Ben Eliezer meeting took place in Zürich's airport. Ben Eliezer heard that the Turkish FM is in the airport at that time, so he called Bibi and asked to meet spontaneously with him. Bibi approved.
*There will be no Israeli apology.
*There will be no compensation to the 8 dead Turks.
*It was a Turkish provocation, and therefor, Israel has nothing to apologize about or to pay.
Amir,
Many thanks --- this gets more and more curious. From your summary --- plus a story that Netanyahu has apologised to Lieberman --- it seems that Netanyahu has tried to save his position at home by spiting the Turks for a "provocation" (I presume that refers to the Flotilla and not the meeting with Ben Eliezer!).
S.
Yes Scott, it refers to the jihadi love boat.
Bibi doesn't need to "save his position at home". His coalition goverenment is not only the most stable in many years, but Bibi has no contenders, neigher from within the Likud nor in oposition parties.
And to add to all this, his approval-rating among Israelis keeps rising.
(Proper disclosure: I never voted for Likud).
Amir,
Thank you for clarification and sorry for over-dramatic writing: I was probably focusing too much on Bibi v. Lieberman.
S.