Israel-Turkey Crisis: Obama Intervenes

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In January, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan walked out of a session at the Davos Summit after telling off Israeli President Shimon Peres over Israel’s invasion of Gaza. That was the most striking picture of Turkey’s so-called “strategic depth strategy”, developed by Ahmet Davutoglu, a personal advisor to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan before he was appointed Foreign Minister in May.

Turkey’s initiative to consolidate its “relative autonomy” was far more than an effort to appear pro-Palestinian in the eyes of Middle Eastern people. It came as the United States was suffering from the complications of military occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan and from the tensions of its political conflict with Iran. The emerging financial crisis was bringing new troubles for Western powers, especially Washington. This, to be blunt, was a Turkish effort, led by Erdogan, to establish its independence of action at a conjunction of international and regional events.

Ironically, Turkey’s interest in strengthening its authority in its region, even though it was propelled by American weakness, was not unwelcome to the US. The Obama Administration was grateful for Ankara’s initiatives in mediating talks between Damascus and Tel Aviv, for its bridging role between the West and Iran, and for the willingness to host Israeli and Palestinian leaders. While Turkey was establishing independence, it was not being “revisionist” to the point where it  threatened Washington’s position. The US would have reason to worry if Turkey’s approach shifted from a stimulus for the peace process to pressure that would limit and gradually erode Israel’s position.

Still, there were always the problems of symbolism.
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Tags: Abdullah Gul, Afghanistan, Ahmet Davutoglu, Armenia, Barack Obama, Benyamin Netanyahu, Davos Summit, Goldstone Report, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Obama Administration, Palestine, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Syria, Turkey, United Nations Human Rights Council, United States

Last Friday, Istanbul hosted the International Conference on Palestinian Solidarity. Amongst those present were the International Union for Muslim Scholars run by Yusuf Al-Kardavi, many members of Parliament and the Turkish Assembly, and the Palestine Friendship Group.

Journalists who focused on the separate seating of men and women at the meeting missed these important developments:

One of the MPs of the ruling Justice and Development Party, Zeyid Arslan, who is also the Chairman of the TBMM-Palestine Friendship Group, said, ‘As long as Hamas, which came to power through its people, is not seen as the representative of its people but as a terrorist group, solution of the Palestinian question is impossible.’ Indeed, he went further and accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians: “Everyone who is silent over Israel’s committing genocide is going to pay the price before history.”

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Tags: Christians, Davos Summit, Emanuel Musellem, Hamas, International Conference on Palestinian Solidarity, International Union for Muslim Scholars, Islamic Movement, Israel, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Jewish, Justice and Development Party, Khalied Meshaal, Muslims, Palestine, Palestine Friendship Group, Palestinian question, Raid Salah, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Shimon Peres, Turkish Assembly, Yusuf Al-Kardavi, Zeyid Arslan

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/20/israel-gaza-blockade-hamas

Tags: BBC, Benjamin Netanyahu, Davos Summit, DEC, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, John Kerry, Likud, Mahmoud az-Zahar, Mark Thompson, Palestine, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Robert Wexler, Turkey