Turkey, Israel in race to mediate between Ukraine and Russia – Haaretz
Posted By admin on March 8, 2022
At the so-called White Palace in Ankara, the official residence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, preparations are in high gear for President Isaac Herzogs visit on Wednesday. Erdogans colorful presidential guard will welcome him, his presidential band will play Hatikva and the Turkish anthem and the two presidents are expected to announce that their countries are turning over a new leaf in their relationship.
But no one will know whether the two will announce that relations are resuming at the ambassadorial level and, if so, when the new ambassadors will take their posts until the end of the visit.
Bad blood has been flowing between the countries for a dozen years now, starting from Israels botched raid on a Turkish-sponsored flotilla to the Gaza Strip in 2010 through mutual finger-pointing by Erdogan and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Erdogans claim that Israel is a terror state. But while their public relationship resembled a messy divorce, under the surface, in the fields of commerce and intelligence, interests took precedence over caprice.
One can only hope that the renewed relationship will last and that the countries disagreements can be resolved through polite diplomacy. Both countries have common interests, both have opened unexpected channels to the Arab world, both fear Iran and now Russia as well and both are participating in the race to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.
Erdogan was the first to test his strength as a mediator in the Ukraine crisis. In early February, he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and offered to host a summit in Turkey between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But Russias invasion of Ukraine swept Erdogans diplomatic ambitions away like so much dust and confronted Turkey with a dilemma. Ankara has sold Turkish-made combat drones to Ukraine and signed an agreement to produce the drones there. When Russia scolded it for the drone sale, Ankara said it was a deal between private companies rather than government aid to Ukraine. But government spokespeople forgot to mention that the private company in question, Baykar, is owned by Erdogans son-in-law, Selcuk Bayraktar.
Turkey sees Ukraine as part of its regional sphere of influence, and also as a buffer between itself and Russia, especially since the latter occupied the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. On the other hand, Russia is one of Turkeys main trading partners, a major source of tourists and its chief supplier of oil and gas. On top of all that, it enables Ankara to play power games with the United States and the European Union, including by threatening to quit NATO. For instance, Turkeys purchase of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft systems drove Washington and senior NATO officials into a frenzy.
In the meantime, Turkey has changed course. In a phone call to Putin, Erdogan called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine; before that, Turkey supported the UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions harshly condemning the Russian invasion. Erdogan also reminded Putin about the upcoming Antalya Diplomatic Forum from March 11-13, which he expects Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba to attend. Russia has already said that it welcomes the Turkish initiative. But that welcoming attitude has not yet stopped Russia from pressing its advance into Ukraine.
As Erdogan was trying to mend the tear in the Russian-Ukrainian fabric and pocket some diplomatic gains for himself, he discovered that he has a competitor. Prime Minister Naftali Bennetts quick, secret trip to Moscow on Saturday, and then to Germany to meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, made clear to Erdogan that he is not the only horse in this race for glory. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will also attend the Antalya forum, where he is due to meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Perhaps Ukraine will turn out to be the issue that manages to bring them closer together, as Lapid has hitherto turned a cold shoulder whenever Turkey pushed to renew its relations with Israel.
It would be best not to hold out hope for dazzling results from Turkey and Israels mediation efforts. Where Russia is concerned, they both have their own interests and concerns. But while Israel is clumsily hopping between its desire to ensure its freedom of military action in Syria and its total dependence on the United States, Turkey is talking about an existential threat. Russias seizure of the Crimean Peninsula brought the Russian Army very close to Turkeys border.
Having taken Kherson and setting its sights on Odessa, Russia could fully establish its presence in the Black Sea and infringe on Turkey and the Wests freedom of movement in this region. The possibility that Russia could install ballistic missiles or even missiles carrying nuclear warheads in occupied Ukrainian territory, has not been lost on U.S., European and Turkish intelligence. An anti-Russian stance by Turkey could also affect the gas and oil pipeline that fuels Turkish heaters and gas stations, and cause the flow to be cut off in the strategic TurkStream natural gas pipeline that runs from Russia to Turkey.
With the full package of interests and threats laying like a ticking bomb at Israel and Turkeys doorsteps, the two countries have a shared basis to rapidly promote a diplomatic solution. Their relative advantage is the ties they maintain with both of the warring countries. Theres just one small question left unanswered: Does Putin even take these two countries mediation efforts seriously at all?
Read the original here:
Turkey, Israel in race to mediate between Ukraine and Russia - Haaretz
- Netanyahus Judicial Overhaul Proposal Sets Off Fury in Israel - The New York Times - January 12th, 2023
- Where are the Gulf Arab tourists? Israel's hopes fall short - January 3rd, 2023
- Ukraine didn't attend UN vote on Israeli occupation after Netanyahu called Zelensky - Axios - January 3rd, 2023
- Kol Israel Foundation raises ceremonial flag over its Holocaust National Memorial - Cleveland Jewish News - January 3rd, 2023
- Cantor Fromson, Temple Israel agree on new, five-year contract - Cleveland Jewish News - November 24th, 2022
- Trump: I could "easily" be Israel's prime minister - Axios - October 17th, 2022
- Netanyahu memoir: Dems feeling more leftist pressure on Israel than they publicly admit - Forward - October 17th, 2022
- Its driven by fear: Ukrainians and Russians with Jewish roots flee to Israel - The Guardian - October 17th, 2022
- How AIPAC and DMFI Outspent the Democratic Insurgency - The Intercept - October 17th, 2022
- Israel keeps building settlements and Palestinians keep dying. Peace is impossible this way - The Guardian - October 17th, 2022
- Azerbaijan's story mirrors that of Israel Aze.Media - Aze Media - October 17th, 2022
- UK-Israel relationship to hit new heights amid rocky times - CTech - October 17th, 2022
- Israel is fifth-most educated country in the world, report says - Ynetnews - October 17th, 2022
- Israel, Warrior Nation | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs - The Times of Israel - October 17th, 2022
- College leftists expand campaign to silence all talk of Zionism and Israel - New York Post - October 17th, 2022
- Israel Maps & Facts - World Atlas - October 10th, 2022
- Israel pays family of dead Palestinian-American detainee - October 10th, 2022
- After claim that possible new Israel govt will damage relations with US, Sen. Menendez stays silent - Yahoo News - October 10th, 2022
- The EU-Israel Association Council discussed the difficult path for peace in the region | EEAS Website - EEAS - October 10th, 2022
- Microbot Medical Receives Patent Allowance in Israel for the LIBERTY Robotic System - GlobeNewswire - October 10th, 2022
- Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez gets by Israel Gonzalez in second WBC title defense - The Ring - The Ring - September 18th, 2022
- Novavax Nuvaxovid COVID-19 Vaccine Now Available in Israel for Individuals Aged 12 and Older - Novavax Investor Relations - September 18th, 2022
- Israel hosts dragon boat race to mark 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties with China - Xinhua - September 18th, 2022
- The occupied West Bank cities at centre of resistance to Israel - Al Jazeera English - September 13th, 2022
- Moscow's invitation to Hamas could be meant as warning to Israel, analysts say - JNS.org - September 13th, 2022
- Alber Elbaz Gets the Museum Treatment in Israel - WWD - September 13th, 2022
- OneRepublic Lead Singer Says They're 'Pumped' to Return to Israel for Concert in November - Algemeiner - September 13th, 2022
- Bachelet deplores Israel's failure to grant visas for UN Human Rights staff in the occupied Palestinian territory - OHCHR - August 30th, 2022
- On the bus with an army of pro-Israel TikTok influencers J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - August 30th, 2022
- 7 great new films from Israel coming soon to a (big or small) screen near you - Forward - August 30th, 2022
- Israel is worried about a possible clash with Washington over the Iran nuclear deal - Middle East Monitor - August 30th, 2022
- Why is America so obsessed with Israel? - Spiked - August 30th, 2022
- Disband this biased UN commission on Israel New York Daily News - New York Daily News - August 30th, 2022
- Israel country guide: Everything you need to know before you go - The Independent - August 30th, 2022
- Strike looms after court rejects states request to order teachers to work - The Times of Israel - August 30th, 2022
- UN told Israel's imposition of apartheid must be 'wake-up call' to end impunity - Middle East Monitor - August 30th, 2022
- Caroline Glick: Israel is on its own against Iran - Cleveland Jewish News - August 30th, 2022
- Y-mAbs Therapeutics (YMAB) and Takeda (TAK) Granted Marketing Authorization in Israel for DANYELZA - StreetInsider.com - August 30th, 2022
- Israel Braces for Hottest Week of the Year - Israel News - Haaretz - August 29th, 2022
- Hizbullah Official: In Next War With Israel, We Will Turn Israelis' Lives Into Hell, They Will Be Pulling Bodies From Under The Ruins - Middle East... - August 29th, 2022
- Why the US and Israeli Right Really Hate the Iran Nuclear Deal - Scheerpost.com - August 29th, 2022
- Bahrain seeks to boost space collaboration with Israel - Arab News - August 29th, 2022
- Israel the country speaks for itself - Australian Jewish News - August 12th, 2022
- Americans Rarely See True Face of Israel's Bombing of Gaza - The Intercept - August 12th, 2022
- Everything Foreign Residents Need to Know about Buying an Apartment in Israel - JD Supra - August 12th, 2022
- Auburn basketball players baptized in Jordan River on tour of Israel - sportsspectrum.com - August 12th, 2022
- Shira Brown on Moving to Israel: 'How Could We Not?' Detroit Jewish News - The Jewish News - August 12th, 2022
- The Line Separating Israel From Palestine Has Been ErasedWhat Comes Next? - The Nation - August 12th, 2022
- As Gaza ceasefire holds, Israel lifts all security restrictions - The Times of Israel - August 12th, 2022
- Gen Z progressive says he's 'pro-Israel' and 'pro-Palestinian' - Jewish Insider - August 12th, 2022
- Israel and the Occupied Territories - Political solutions needed to halt cycles of violence - occupied Palestinian territory - ReliefWeb - August 12th, 2022
- Defence minister in Israel to discuss bilateral relations - Cyprus Mail - August 12th, 2022
- Israel - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - August 6th, 2022
- Israel kills top Islamic Jihad terrorist in Gaza, announces formal ... - August 6th, 2022
- "Was She Fighting?": Family Of Gaza's 5-Year-Old Killed In Israel Strike - NDTV - August 6th, 2022
- Murphy heading to Israel this weekend for 4-day trip - NJ.com - August 6th, 2022
- Why Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad are fighting again - Washington Examiner - August 6th, 2022
- Jaguars training camp: 1-on-1 interview with DT Israel Antwine - Black and Teal - August 6th, 2022
- The power we had was astonishing: ex-soldiers on Israels government in the occupied territories - The Guardian - August 6th, 2022
- The Long Con(federation): Understanding the latest attempts to legitimize Israeli colonization - Mondoweiss - July 31st, 2022
- Party in Israel Ends with One Death as Sinkhole Opened Up In the Middle of a Swimming Pool - Nature World News - July 31st, 2022
- Far-right religious nationalists are edging closer to power in Israel - Arab News - July 31st, 2022
- Israels Music Business Has the Ears of the Majors - Variety - July 31st, 2022
- An ancient Israeli law leaves thousands of women 'chained' to their wayward husbands - ABC News - July 31st, 2022
- OUT AND ABOUT: Visit to Israel brings the Bible to life - Northwest Georgia News - July 31st, 2022
- Israel/OPT: Immediately halt forced eviction of more than 1000 West Bank residents and stop demolitions of Bedouin homes in the Negev/Naqab - Amnesty... - July 19th, 2022
- Israel's advocates offer political cover to Biden over embarrassing trip - Mondoweiss - July 19th, 2022
- Joc Pederson joins Team Israel for 2023 World Baseball Classic J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - July 19th, 2022
- The identity crisis of Israel's left-wing parties - Ynetnews - July 19th, 2022
- Final act of empire? U.S., Israel and the Saudis now heading for war with Iran - Salon - July 19th, 2022
- Few resolutions deferred two years until 81st General Convention, among them Israel 'apartheid' - Episcopal News Service - July 19th, 2022
- Joint Statement of the Leaders of India, Israel, United Arab Emirates, and the United States (I2U2) - The White House - July 19th, 2022
- Secret Service worker sent home after attacking woman in Israel - July 14th, 2022
- The Jerusalem US-Israel Strategic Partnership Joint Declaration - The White House - July 14th, 2022
- Bidens Jerusalem visit is a recalibration of the US-Israel relationship - Vox.com - July 14th, 2022
- Biden meets with Herzog, Netanyahu at Presidents Residence in Jerusalem - The Times of Israel - July 14th, 2022
- Secretary Blinken's Travel to Israel, the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia - United States Department of State - Department of State - July 14th, 2022
- Israel works with Arab allies to down drones, in sign of growing ties - The Indian Express - July 14th, 2022
- Earliest Known Images of Two Biblical Heroines Unearthed in Israel - Smithsonian Magazine - July 14th, 2022
- Israels high-tech crisis is changing the work chain - which industries are set to benefit? - CTech - July 14th, 2022
Comments