Leaving power in Israelgovernment coalition Yair Lapid-Benny Gantz goes to Benjamin Netanyahu two boilers on fire, namely delicate relations with Turkey and the signing of a maritime border agreement with Lebanon, is indicated in an analytical article in the authoritative Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post.

And if the deal with Lebanon clearly has positive aspects for both countries, despite any pitfalls that may exist, then Turkey’s opening raises many reservations at a time when the seasoned Mr. Netanyahu appears committed to cooperating with Greece and Cyprus, it is reported. in an article signed by Regular Newspaper Analyst Seth Franzman.

Israel and Turkey have resumed diplomatic relations during the outgoing government’s tenure, and there have been several high-profile visits in the past year. It was an unprecedented number of visits in such a short period of time. Israeli President Isaac Herzog traveled to Turkey, while Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu traveled to Israel, and recently the Israeli Defense Minister visited Turkey. The article notes that these visits were the first meetings of its kind in a decade or more.

Turkey has been one of the most hostile countries towards Israel in the last decade. Ankara’s ruling AKP compared Israel to Nazi Germany several times in 2018 and 2019. Ankara hosted Hamas terrorist leaders, and foreign media reports suggested that Hamas was planning attacks from Turkey. In addition, far-right extremists in Turkey organized the Mavi Marmara flotilla bound for Gaza.

When Israel’s agreements to normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain were announced, Ankara tried to sabotage them by threatening to sever relations with the UAE. Turkey also tried to interfere in relations between Greece, Cyprus and Israel, recalls the Jerusalem Post.

However, over the past year and a half, Ankara has felt that it has few friends in the West and in Washington. He turned around and sought reconciliation with many countries in the region, including the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

The outgoing Israeli government sought to renew relations with Ankara. However, he made so many reconciliations that it is unclear whether he followed the principle of “trust, but verify,” the article notes.

“Did Ankara use Israel just to try to gain influence in Washington by projecting pro-Israeli votes in the US to score points in the US capital? And in general, what did Ankara do for Israel??” the reviewer asks.

Doubts

Turkey did detain Israeli tourists on trumped-up charges, which Ankara often does to countries by threatening them and then pretending to back off to give the impression that Turkey has done something positive. In addition, Turkey said it had prevented attacks on Israelis. But one might ask why the Iranians or others who threaten the Israelis can operate in Turkey at all?

One thing is clear: when Mr. Netanyahu was prime minister, his motto was “strength,” and he never allowed Turkey to threaten Israel without responding in kind. Mr. Netanyahu has been a staunch supporter of the Kurds and has always been ready to counter the slander from Ankara. This led to very bad relations, but these bad relations are not Israel’s fault, the article claims. Now there are new connections, but it’s unclear if Ankara can change its old habits of attacking Israel now that the right is apparently returning to power in Israel.

Ankara will take advantage of upcoming elections [το 2023] turn against Israel again, and will Mr. Netanyahu retaliate or will caution prevail on both sides? These are the main questions.

At the same time, Turkey is likely following Israel’s decision to conclude a maritime border agreement with Lebanon and wondering what that means.

The article notes that Turkey is working with Libya on maritime and defense deals that could lead to a new crisis between Ankara and Athens. “For the past year, Ankara has been threatening Greece, and this has raised concerns about a possible conflict. While this seems unlikely, it is likely that Ankara could create a crisis. Israel has close ties with Greece and Cyprus, and while Israel does not want to be at the center of a conflict in the Eastern Mediterranean, Mr. Netanyahu is interested in Greek-Israeli ties. This means maritime boundaries matter,” he adds pointedly.

Source: Jerusalem Post