Honeymoon is over

Turkish-Israeli ties in danger unless trust building measures promptly implemented

Haymi Behar Published: 03.01.09, 12:47 / Israel Opinion

The Turkish-Israeli honeymoon has ended. From the 90s up until recent times Israelis flocked to Turkey, while economic and military ties flourished. Yet today, following Turkey’s harsh criticism of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, angry Israelis canceled more than 70% of travel bookings to Turkey. In any case, they wouldn’t feel so welcomed in many Turkish shops, which displayed signs expressing anti-Israeli sentiments.

Israel’s Cast Lead operation triggered an unprecedented wave of widespread criticism across Turkey. Solidarity with the suffering fellow Muslim in Gaza, combined with difficult images of civilian casualties led the crowds to the streets in mass protests. Yet accusations did not stop at “disproportionate use of force” by Israel. Rather, demonstrations held in almost every city often turned anti-Semitic in tone, as hordes chanted “Death to Israel, down with the Zionists.”

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan assured Jewish citizens of Turkey that no one would dare harm them. However, support for Hamas positions only added to the rhetoric used by protesters, culminating in hate speech. In recent years, anti-Semitism in Turkey reached unprecedented levels. The PEW’s polling center recently published shocking results on the rise of animosity towards Jews in traditionally tolerant Anatolian culture. According to the research, 76% of Turks hold negative views about Jews and do not wish to be their neighbors. In 2004, 49% expressed this view.

The ever strengthening Islamic media’s criticism of Israel often turned to demonizing Jews as a whole, referring to them in one case as “blood sucking vampires.” Pro-government media deemed the Gaza operation genocide and a crime against humanity. Those same media outlets kept silent when Sudan’s vice president visited Turkey around the same time.

President Abdullah Gul was quick to denounce the racist jargon against Jews. Nevertheless, even in Kayseri, the birthplace of the president, a schoolteacher distributed lokhum (Turkish delight) in the city center to honor the memory of Adolf Hitler, recounting to bystanders his dream about the notorious Nazi leader. Disturbingly enough, no legal action was taken against the schoolteacher, symptomatic of the inaction by the state against hate speech.

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