Erdogan and Israel: Attacks in public, relationships and interests in secret

Shaimaa Yahya

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues his deception and ambivalence towards the Palestinian issue. In public, he opens fire at Israel with blame, rebuke and criticism, while the contrary occurs in secret, as the relations between the two countries are in harmony and share common interests.

Despite the broad differences between Turkey and Israel, there is also mutual cooperation and deep-rooted relations. The ambivalence of Turkish discourse and actions is an inversion of reality, as Turkish-Israeli interests come above all else, as Ankara considers Tel Aviv a strategic partner in many fields, including military, political and commercial.

Local consumption

Erdogan is constantly playing a game to win the support and amiability of the Turkish street in conjunction with his quest to win the favor of Ankara’s strategic ally, Tel Aviv. In this context, Turkey has always supported the Palestinian cause, especially in times of crisis and elections, through its keenness to direct verbal hostility towards Israel in public gatherings. As a result, his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) frequently organizes mock demonstrations in Istanbul in support of the Palestinian cause, which is matched by an annual celebration held at the Israeli embassy in Ankara on the anniversary of the founding of the Jewish state.

Turkey does not hesitate to serve Israel on the ground, as opposed to satisfying the Palestinian side with mere words. In practice, Ankara does not provide much support to the Palestinians, as Turkey is not among the 20 countries that support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) the most.

Partnership

Turkey recognized Israel in 1949, becoming the first Muslim-majority country to do so, and Turkish-Israeli relations have not been affected by the AKP assuming power in Turkey in 2002. The AKP has worked to reinforce previous agreements with Israel, and Erdogan made his first official visit to Israel in 2005 as prime minister at that time.

Turkish Airlines is the second largest airline in Israel. Even after the political relations between the two countries worsened, their commercial relationship continued to flourish. In late May, for the first time in 10 years, an Israeli El Al cargo plane arrived at Istanbul Airport, which some considered an indication of reducing tensions between the two countries.

In 2019, Turkish exports to Israel reached $4.1 billion, while Turkish imports from Israel in the same year reached $1.7 billion. Turkey is the fifth most cooperative country with Israel economically, while the Jewish state is tenth for Turkey.

In 2015, Turkey and Israel signed military agreements that amounted to more than $3 billion, making Turkey the number two country after the United States to host the largest weapons factories for the Israeli army. Ankara also sent more than a million tons of cement to Israel in 2018 to build settlements.

Profiting from political relations and military conflicts

Erdogan has taken advantage of the crises in the Middle East, not only for political gain, but also for his personal benefit, as his policies do not benefit the Palestinians, serving only as a trick designed to enable him to maintain his corrupt regime.

It is clear that the differences between the two countries have not affected the relations and joint cooperation between them, as the commercial and economic relations differ from other aspects of their relationship. In 2009, Erdogan withdrew from the Davos summit after he displayed a dispute with then-Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Apparent tensions occurred in 2010 after the Turkish ship Marmara sailed towards Gaza and was stopped by Israel, resulting in the deaths of nine Turkish activists, but this did not affect cooperation between the two countries, and years later the dispute resulted in a reconciliation agreement.

Expediency and exploitation

Dr. Tarek Fahmy, a professor of political science at Cairo University, previously told the Reference that The Turkish president’s position on the Palestinian issue is based on expediency and exploitation in favor of Ankara by investing in the Gaza Strip specifically and criticizing Israel’s actions there. At the same time, Ankara maintains good relations with the Jewish state in terms of economic and trade cooperation, in addition to the rise in the trade balance between the two countries in recent years.

Fahmy explained that Erdogan adopts a strategy of convenience and exploits the scene for his own calculations by creating a place for himself in the Gaza Strip through voluntary projects. Additionally, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) plays a major political, economic and development role, pointing to Turkey’s growing relations with Israel and the existence of contacts and meetings at the strategic level, and the Israeli administration follows the Turkish approach. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considers Turkey an autocratic state, but the two sides cannot abandon the relations between them.