The Israelis hold responsible for the recent deterioration in relations between them and Turkey its Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his energetic Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. Indeed, they consider that these relations have managed to overcome phases much more difficult than the last Israeli war on Gaza, among them the two Palestinian Intifadas and the confrontations with the Israeli army that they involved, as well as the besieging of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in his Mukataa headquarters in Ramallah and his “assassination” there, according to the accusations of Palestinian parties. Yet in spite of this, and in spite of the stances of the Turkish governments that then opposed the methods used by Israel in confronting the Palestinians, Ankara never reached the point of raising its voice high against the Israelis, as it now does, and never took the initiative of taking steps in this regard, as it recently has, such as canceling joint military maneuvers and broadcasting a television series in which Israeli soldiers are described as “child-killers”. This is how the Israelis downplay the reactions stirred up by the Gaza war in the Turkish street, as in the Arab and Muslim street, against what they committed, and view Turkey's reaction as an exception. Indeed, it is of the opinion of Netanyahu, the ministers in his government, and commentators in the Israeli press that, had the Justice and Development Party (AKP) not been in power in Turkey, relations with this country, which was among the first Muslim countries to establish relations with them in 1949 (after Iran under the Shah), would never have reached such a state. In its stances towards Turkey, Israel disregards facts of the utmost importance regarding the development of this country's politics over the past decade. The fact of the matter is that Turkey is not longer the same country that established relations with them. The currently ruling Islamic party coming to power was only an expression of this radical transformation. It is a party more in touch with the stances of its people towards the issues of the neighboring region, and more sensitive towards relations with Israel than was the case with the right-wing and left-wing governments that have come to power since the establishment of modern Turkey. This is what Prime Minister Erdoğan expressed clearly when he said that he could not move forward with a policy that contradicts the convictions and stances of the Turkish people. A comment in Israeli newspaper Haaretz states that Israel has always viewed Turkey as two states: one of them military, the “twin sister” of Israel, and the other political, a Muslim country with strong ties to Syria and Iran. And Israel has always decided, in its typically insolent manner (as stated in the comment), to ignore the politicians and not take them seriously, tying its relations to army and military leaders alone. Thus people in Israel were quick to comment on what recently took place, saying that “something went wrong in Turkey” and that the government is now leading the army instead of the opposite! Whether it is said that Ankara is witnessing a return to the Ottoman roots of Turkish politics, and to the well-known stances of Sultan Abdul Hamid II towards establishing the Hebrew state on the land of Palestine, or that this has something to do with the Islamic trend that is spreading in the countries of the region, which finds living space for its movement and activity in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the current reality is that Turkey is redefining its alliances in a manner that safeguards its interests, whether political or economic, in the region. Indeed, it is a country whose balance of trade with Iran reaches nine billion dollars and with Syria one and a half billion, in addition to having strong economic ties to Iraq and Egypt as well. It is a country that considers its role essential to NATO missions in Afghanistan, being itself a NATO member, and also in the Caucasus region, where it has reorganized its relations on the basis of interests rather than sensitivities, as it has proven by improving its relations with the Republic of Armenia despite the burden of history. Certainly, current Turkish policies represent an adventure that will reflect on Ankara's relations with the United States and on its role within NATO, as it will on its request for membership in the European Union. These policies also have a negative impact on the indirect mediation which Erdoğan's government was conducting between Damascus and Tel Aviv, and which could be said to have become suspended, as it had not quite ended after the last Turkish-Israeli escalation. It is thus logical to wonder about the extent to which Turkey can take its recent stances, without suffering irremediable damage to its role and standing in the region and in the world.
