IS ISRAEL BECOMING ISOLATED
Today’s Zaman
April 21 2010
Turkey
There has been a certain cooling of relations between Israel and
its closest friend in the region, Turkey, for several years. Mutual
statements are being given.
Israel is seeing problems rear their ugly heads in its relations not
only with Turkey, but also with its biggest guardian in the world, the
US. Criticism has started to be voiced about Israel, even in the US.
Europe has already been a seasoned critic of Israel. What is going on?
Is it that Israel is losing its friends and becoming isolated? How
will this process affect Israel, or, more importantly, Jews around
the world? There are a number of questions like these that need to
be answered.
Around the world, Jews were expelled from various countries and
persecuted in a number of ways, including most notably at the hands
of Hitler in the 20th century. As a result, people started to show
pity, compassion and tolerance toward Jews as a victimized nation,
which eventually led to the establishment and strengthening of Israel
in the region. In other words, this victimization played and continues
to play into the hands of Israel.
However, forgetful of its own suffering in the past, Israel started
to persecute the Palestinians and did not hesitate to use excessive
force and harm civilians. Yet, as a nation that is cognizant of
oppression and genocide, shouldn’t it have become more sensitive and
more respectful toward people and have refrained from cruelty?
Harm around the world
Israel’s excessive use of force is, in many respects, doing harm not
only to other people, but also to itself and the Jewish Diaspora
around the world, and this strategy has the potential of causing
greater damage in the long run. Israel’s policy of using excessive
force and hurting and oppressing civilians empowers the radicals in
Palestine, urging them to become more radical while disappointing
the moderate and peaceful groups, converting them into radicals. This
also discourages the people who believe in peace and cooperation in
the Muslim world and makes Israel prone to ever-increasing criticism
from Europe and the US. Clearly, this is a process in which Israel
may eventually end up in greater isolation in the Middle East and
around the world. Worse still, the Jewish Diaspora runs the risk of
being adversely affected by this process.
Turkey has had its share of this process, and a troubled era has
started in Turkish-Israeli relations. While Turkey, i.e., Israel’s
closest friend in the region, was trying to help Israel to settle
its problems with Syria, ensure peace and contribute to peace in the
region and around the world, Israel foiled its efforts by attacking
Gaza and preferred conflict over peace. Moreover, these attacks came
just after the Israeli prime minister’s visit to Turkey. This being
the case, Turkey concluded that Israel does not give a fig about
Turkey but can easily humiliate Turkey in the international community.
Consequently, Turkey started to question and criticize its polices
toward Israel.
So, will Turkey and Israel be enemies from now on? Is it what Turkey
and the Turkish nation want?
Turkey is a country that in the past welcomed Jews while many European
nations expelled them. It is currently pursuing a policy of zero
problems with neighbors and has discovered the power of cooperation.
It is even trying to wipe the slate clean with Armenia while it runs
the gauntlet of genocide claims, but Turkey does not have the luxury
of losing its old friend, Israel, let alone turning it into an enemy.
What, then, is the problem? The problem is with the Israeli policies
that do not promote peace and resort to the excessive use of force,
hurting its friends, or, with the radical elements inside Israel,
that lead to the emergence of such policies.
Nothing could stop Israel from exhibiting the same attitude towards
the US. Newly elected President Barack Obama was talking about wiping
the slate clean with the Muslim world with an emphasis on peace in
the Middle East. The US had just stepped in to re-initiate the peace
process by encouraging both the Israelis and the Palestinians, but
Israel had no qualms about undermining the process by announcing that
it would start new construction in disputed East Jerusalem while US
Vice President Biden was in Israel. This time, it was the US whose
pride was hurt, and it started to seriously question its relations
with Israel.
The fact that the Israeli prime minister did not attend the recent
international nuclear security summit was not only meaningful in terms
of US-Israeli relations but also implied an Israeli position that
is harder than ever to defend in terms of nuclear weapons. While it
urges the international community to take action in the face of the
possibility of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons and even using them,
Israel owns such weapons itself and does not abide by the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is a great contradiction. This is
also a great contradiction both for the US and other countries. It is
obvious that such global problems cannot be settled without resorting
to the principles and practices that do no change from one country to
another. In fact, lending unquestioning support to Israel is damaging
the discourse, image and credibility of the US in the world.
The process that may lead to the greater isolation of Israel and
that may prove unfavorable to the Jewish community around the world
in the long run is not getting any unwavering support from the Jewish
community. Israel should review the benefits and disadvantages of the
excessive use of force and whether it seriously desires to have peace.
It should also exercise more control over its radicals and take steps
to ensure peace, mutual respect and tolerance, as the policies that
hurt its friends will translate into greater isolation for itself.
This is essential both for the settlement of the Palestinian issue
and peace in the Middle East and around the world.