’Turk-Israeli ties hinge on no new wave of violence’
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Ümit Enginsoy
OluÅŸturulma Tarihi: Åžubat 13, 2009 00:00
WASHINGTON - Following a major deterioration in ties between Turkey and Israel the two nations' short-term relationship will depend on whether or not Israel is involved in a new and violent conflict in the Middle East, a senior expert on the region has said.
"The (Turkish-Israeli) relationship is troubled... I think it depends mostly on whether or not there is another episode of violent conflict," said David Pollock, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, when asked by the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review to comment on how the relationship could evolve under the new Israeli government.Â
Relations between the countries reached an all-time low, after Israel’s recent military campaign in Gaza. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government strongly denounced Israel for its military operations from late December to mid-January in Gaza that killed about 1,300 people, half of them children and other civilians.
During a panel in Davos, Switzerland, two weeks ago, ErdoÄŸan and Israeli President Shimon Peres argued about the Israeli military campaign in Gaza and saw ErdoÄŸan storm off the stage after it appeared the mediator would not allow him time for a rebuttal.
If there is a new "episode of violent conflict in Gaza or on the northern front (with the radical Hezbollah group in Lebanon) or possibly even against Iran, or who knows what, then I believe that Turkish-Israeli relations will become even more strained, regardless of who is in the government in Israel," Pollock said. "But if that does not happen, then I think that both Turkey and Israel Äž again, regardless of who is the next Israeli prime minister and what kind of government exactly is formed Äž I think both of them will try hard to repair some of that damage or at least to keep their relationship positive," he said.
Before joining the Washington Institute recently, Pollock served as senior adviser on the Broader Middle East at the State Department, a post he assumed in 2002.
Relations between the countries reached an all-time low, after Israel’s recent military campaign in Gaza. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government strongly denounced Israel for its military operations from late December to mid-January in Gaza that killed about 1,300 people, half of them children and other civilians.
During a panel in Davos, Switzerland, two weeks ago, ErdoÄŸan and Israeli President Shimon Peres argued about the Israeli military campaign in Gaza and saw ErdoÄŸan storm off the stage after it appeared the mediator would not allow him time for a rebuttal.
If there is a new "episode of violent conflict in Gaza or on the northern front (with the radical Hezbollah group in Lebanon) or possibly even against Iran, or who knows what, then I believe that Turkish-Israeli relations will become even more strained, regardless of who is in the government in Israel," Pollock said. "But if that does not happen, then I think that both Turkey and Israel Äž again, regardless of who is the next Israeli prime minister and what kind of government exactly is formed Äž I think both of them will try hard to repair some of that damage or at least to keep their relationship positive," he said.
Before joining the Washington Institute recently, Pollock served as senior adviser on the Broader Middle East at the State Department, a post he assumed in 2002.