Turkey vs. Israel: An irreparable rift?
After the United Nations deems Israel's Gaza blockade legal, a diplomatic feud breaks out over Turkey's demand for an apology
Tense relations between Turkey and Israel snapped this week, after a United Nations report essentially exonerated Israel for last year's deadly assault on a Turkish vessel. The ship, Mavi Marmara, was trying to break Israel's naval blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip when an Israeli raid killed eight Turkish citizens. After the U.N. released its report, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government had no reason to apologize. Turkey then expelled Israel's ambassador and suspended trade, and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Turkish naval vessels would increase patrols in the eastern Mediterranean. Is there any way to keep the dispute from spiraling out of control?
The rift will last as long as Erdogan is in charge: The Turkish prime minister is threatening to escalate the conflict by visiting the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, says Jennifer Rubin in The Washington Post. That would make Israel furious, and bolster the Islamist Hamas while weakening the more moderate Palestinian Authority. As long as Erdogan's "in charge, a return to the good old days is highly unlikely."
"Turkey and Israel: Can they repair the relationship?"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
An apology from Israel would fix everything: The solution is simple, says Roger Cohen at The New York Times. While the U.N.'s report did say that Israel's naval blockade of Gaza is "a legitimate security measure" given Hamas' habit of firing rockets into Israel, it also called Israel's raid on the aid flotilla — which was 72 miles offshore — an excessive response. While the U.N. still essentially cleared Israel of wrongdoing, it still urged Netanyahu and Co. to express regret and pay compensation. "Israel, increasingly isolated, should do just that."
This rift hurts Turkey, too: The news that Erdogan is considering a trip to Gaza "raises the possibility of a sharp escalation in Turkey’s dispute with Israel," says Gideon Rachman at Britain's Financial Times. Already, Erdogan's "energetic championing of the Palestinian cause" has "profoundly changed" Turkey's reputation in Washington, D.C. Erdogan "presumably feels he can afford to stick it to the Israelis and their friends in Congress" to curry favor "on the Arab Street." But that isn't exactly a "brilliant move." Turkey needs to keep America as an ally.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The ultimate films of 2024 by genre
From the Magazine In a year dominated by sequels, here are the releases that impressed the critics, from Hollywoodgate and Twisters to Poor Things and Atomic People
By The Week UK Published
-
The big art stories of 2024
In depth From the rediscovery of a long-lost painting and the year's highest sale price to the artwork eaten by its new owner
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: December 29, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published