- MENU
- HOME
- SEARCH
- WORLD
- MAIN
- AFRICA
- ASIA
- BALKANS
- EUROPE
- LATIN AMERICA
- MIDDLE EAST
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Benelux
- Brazil
- Canada
- China
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Poland
- Russia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Taiwan
- Turkey
- USA
- BUSINESS
- WEALTH
- STOCKS
- TECH
- HEALTH
- LIFESTYLE
- ENTERTAINMENT
- SPORTS
- RSS
- iHaveNet.com
Alon Ben-Meir
Tensions between Turkey and Israel have been growing, and at the core of their tensions lies their disagreement over foreign policies in Iran.
Whereas Israel sees Iran as a major existential threat, Turkey, although purporting to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons, does not view a nuclear Iran as a direct threat to itself or even to the Middle East. From the Israeli perspective, Turkey's equating of Iran's nuclear ambitions with Israel's latent programme, its seeming embrace of the Islamic organisation
The Israelis are convinced that Turkey has paid no heed to their country's national security concerns in fostering close ties with Iran and its proxies. Turkey's economic and energy ties with Iran are well-known. Many Israelis insist that had Turkey decided to play a constructive role in addressing Iran's nuclear ambitions in order to safeguard these interests, as well as regional stability and peace, its efforts would have been viewed positively by Israel and the global community. However, its embrace of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and
As the Israelis see it, Turkey's reluctance to sufficiently recognise and address the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon is deeply distressing. The recent WikiLeaks release of thousands of American diplomatic cables paint a clear picture: the global community, and particularly the leaders of the Arab world, recognise - and are threatened by - Iran's dogged pursuit of nuclear weapons. According to leaked cables, the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Washington, Adel al-Jubeir said that Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz told Barack Obama's administration 'to cut off the head of the snake,' while Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak called Iran's nuclear pursuit, 'the biggest threat to non-proliferation efforts since the Cuban missile crisis.' Also reflected in numerous cables is the clear scepticism of American diplomats that Turkey fully understands the terrifying ramifications of a nuclear-armed Iran, be that in the form of nuclear arms race or the potential of nuclear regional conflagration.
Shift Right
The result of the perceived Turkish shift toward Iran further undermines Ankara's ability to serve as a mediator in the region. Rather than being seen as playing a useful role in curbing Iran's nuclear pursuit based on its ability to serve as a bridge between Iran and the west, Turkey is instead viewed by many Israelis as an enabler of Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions. This perception, Israeli officials argue, was made more acute with the Turkish-Brazilian deal with Iran to swap nuclear fuel last spring. The deal largely mirrored the arrangement that the five permanent members of the
Even worse, Iran was essentially given the option to end the arrangement at any time it wished. For Israel, the deal was nothing less than an effort by Turkey to cast a shadow over Iran's nuclear programme and present Iran as a nation focused only on peaceful use of nuclear technology, rather than for nefarious purposes. Of course, the plan was subsequently rejected by the international community.
This summer, with the Turkish-Brazilian deal rejected and engagement efforts stalled, Turkey's rejection of international sanctions against Iran at
Finally, Turkey's linking of Iran's nuclear pursuit to Israel's nuclear programme has further discredited Turkey in the eyes of Israelis. From the Israeli perspective, the prospects for a nuclear free Middle east, as adopted by a UN resolution last May with support from the United States - much to Israel's dismay - creates a false equivalence between Israel, who has never threatened any country, and Iran, who has repeatedly threatened Israel existentially. As the concerns illuminated by WikiLeaks demonstrate, it is Iran and not Israel that poses a threat to global and regional peace and stability. Turkey's championing the notion of a nuclear free Middle East therefore further undercuts its once long-held relationship with Israelis. As the Israelis see it, whereas Turkey could have continued to serve as a mediator between Israel and Syria and to use its influence to moderate
Communicating Incentives
Despite these developments, Turkey still has an opportunity to play a constructive role in joining the international community's effort to halt Iran's nuclear weapons programme. The global concerns made public by WikiLeaks documents makes Iran's weapons pursuit impossible to ignore. This fact, coupled with renewed efforts by the P5+1 to engage Iran as they have in November and plan to again in Istanbul on
Even more than the heated rhetoric that has been exchanged between Israel and Turkey, or the fatal flotilla incident, Turkey's posture regarding Iran has left no doubt among Israelis that Turkey can no longer be trusted. That is why Turkey needs to publicly recognise the importance of reaching an agreement acceptable to all parties concerned about Iran's nuclear programme, while actively joining and assisting international efforts to that end.
Such a change of posture would have meaningful benefits for both Israeli- Turkish relations, and help reduce the prospect of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, which Turkey wants to thwart just as much as Israel does. Doing so would also demonstrate that Turkey's regional leadership will neither be short-sighted nor short-lived.
(Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of International Relations at the
Available at Amazon.com:
Aftermath: Following the Bloodshed of America's Wars in the Muslim World
Displacement and Dispossession in the Modern Middle East (The Contemporary Middle East)
The End of History and the Last Man
The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order
The Tragedy of Great Power Politics
The End of the Free Market: Who Wins the War Between States and Corporations?
Running Out of Water: The Looming Crisis and Solutions to Conserve Our Most Precious Resource
Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water
Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization
At War with the Weather: Managing Large-Scale Risks in a New Era of Catastrophes
Friendly Fire: Losing Friends and Making Enemies in the Anti-American Century
Dining With al-Qaeda: Three Decades Exploring the Many Worlds of the Middle East
Uprising: Will Emerging Markets Shape or Shake the World Economy
WORLD | AFRICA | ASIA | EUROPE | LATIN AMERICA | MIDDLE EAST | UNITED STATES | ECONOMICS | EDUCATION | ENVIRONMENT | FOREIGN POLICY | POLITICS
World - Israel, Turkey and Iran: Neighbourly Strain | Global Viewpoint