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The official, Masoud Cassin, spoke on very important and important points, indicating the possibility of resuming full diplomatic relations between Turkey and Israel, for next March, and added in statements to the “Voice of America” news site: “Yes we see the green light, Turkey will reopen the embassy. We will return our ambassador, we can restore full diplomatic relations again. Why not? Establishing peace and security is very important to Israel and Turkey. “
Despite the absence of an official Turkish or Israeli position on what is being talked about, it appears to have become realistic, according to observers, but it is happening behind the doors, with weak voices, on the grounds that the state of “hostility and rivalry” between the two parties cannot be resolved from the first round or by sudden movements.
Relations between Israel and Turkey had deteriorated after the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip in 2008, only to deteriorate to the point of further distancing after the Israeli navy’s interception of the “Freedom Flotilla” in May 2012. , when Israeli commandos killed ten Turkish activists.
As a result, Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador and froze military cooperation after a United Nations report on the incident in 2011 concluded that Israel was largely acquitted. Israel and Turkey have reduced intelligence sharing and canceled joint military exercises.
In 2016, Turkey announced the resumption of diplomatic relations with Israel after six years of discord, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed at the time that an agreement had been reached with Israel and that “economic relations with him they will start to get better. “
Two years later, the tension returned again in the relations between the two countries, due to the Turkish position on the Israeli military operations in Gaza, and the diplomatic relations between them passed to the level of Chargé d’Affaires.
Although the conversation being reported on steps to reestablish Turkish-Israeli relations is important and may have several repercussions, the timing of it is seen as more important, and the main defense may be behind the leadership of the two parts of this step right now.
The aforementioned steps to re-normalize “relations” come at a time that precedes the arrival of the new US administration to the White House led by President-elect Joe Biden, and coincides with what the eastern Mediterranean is witnessing. tension, titled Turkish-Greek rivalry, which had several consequences. In recent weeks, it has reached the point of imposing European sanctions on Ankara.
To confirm what was mentioned by the Turkish official, Masoud Cassin, the US website “Axios” revealed on Thursday that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is trying to mediate between Turkey and Israel, noting that Aliyev spoke by phone about it with Erdogan. .
On the other hand, advisers to the Azerbaijani president spoke to Israeli officials and informed them that Erdogan did not completely reject the reconciliation efforts, with the website quoting senior Israeli officials as saying that Azerbaijan is interested in helping and trying to persuade Turkey. and Israel to repair their relationships.
The US website noted that Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Gihon Bayramov spoke to Israel’s Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi by phone a week ago and suggested the possibility of mediating between Israel and Turkey, and that ” this is an appropriate time to achieve reconciliation between Turkey and Israel. “
The website quoted senior Israeli officials as saying that they “are cautious in all matters related to Turkey and deal with great suspicion of Erdogan’s intentions,” emphasizing that Israel is in no way interested in abandoning its relations with Greece and Cyprus to repair the relationship with Turkey.
Writer and journalist close to the ruling “Justice and Development” party, Hamzah Tekin, says that Turkish-Israeli relations have not been broken, but that they remain “to the minimum and minimum at all levels, be it political, security or military. “.
Tekken adds in statements to Al-Hurra that there may be low-level talks between the two parties, and perhaps normal meetings, but not until the full normalization stage.
So far, talking about full normalization between Turkey and Israel and restoring relations as they were previously is unlikely and difficult to achieve, according to Tekken, who notes that “the Turkish conditions for such a matter are difficult and relate to important issues, including the eastern Mediterranean, and therefore Israel’s recognition of the Turkish-Libyan agreement, and its recognition as well. With all the rights of Ankara in the Eastern Mediterranean. “
The Turkish conditions are not limited to the above, in the opinion of the writer and journalist, but go beyond other points related to the Palestinian issue, the issue of Jerusalem and the delivery of aid to the Palestinian people at home and in the Strip. from Gaza.
Tekken explains that the differences between the two sides remain “strong” and some may seek to overcome them, “but to this day there is no indication that they will be resolved. Perhaps in the future there will be an agreement, but if Israel accepts the Turkish conditions “.
In the event that the normalization of relations between Turkey and Israel is achieved, it will not be similar to the normalization that took place between the Emirates and the rest of the countries. Tekken believes that if normalization occurs between Turkey and Israel, it will be based on “parity and strength.”
Despite the tense relations between Turkey and Israel, during recent years, the volume of trade between them has been remarkable, not being as affected as diplomatic and political relations, leading Turkey’s opponents to question the reality of existing “hostility” with Israel.
The “Jerusalem Post” newspaper indicated in a report last October that Turkish-Israeli trade is increasing with the arrival of diplomatic relations at a low level, as Turkish food and drink exports to Israel have increased by the time. that goes from 2020, despite the Corona epidemic.
In 2018, the volume of Israeli-Turkish trade reached $ 6.2 billion, before dropping to $ 5.5 billion in 2019, according to figures released by the Geneva-based International Trade Center, a joint agency between the United Nations and the United Nations. World Trade Organization.
The writer and political adviser specializing in Turkish affairs, Dr. Basil Hajj Jasim, believes that the current circumstances can be considered “favorable” for a rapprochement between Turkey and Israel.
Speaking to the Al-Hurra website, he said: “If we consider what many sources have discussed for some time about the appointment of Turkey as its new ambassador to Israel, it is a step in the framework of normalizing relations between Ankara and Israel, and also to accumulate points in the account of the new American administration “.
With the above, the political advisor adds: “We must not lose sight of the fact that improving Turkey’s relations with Israel would help it resolve the currently pending issues with the West.”
On the other hand, there are many gains that Israel can achieve through Turkey, according to Hajj Jasim, who notes that the gains are concentrated in the military industries, especially since Turkey is an important market for Israeli military industries and the second largest customer of Israeli-made weapons after India.
The political advisor explains that today’s cooperation between the two parties in the field of military industries “is a common interest, in addition to the energy expedient, because Turkey is a large market, and its pipelines can also be a conduit for the energy market. the European Union”.
