Respond to betrayal

Op-ed: Israel must sever diplomatic ties with Turkey, wait patiently for Erdogan's reign to end

Noah Klieger

There's no question. It is obvious that Israel must freeze its official relations with Turkey. A country that respects itself cannot let the actions and betrayals of the regime in Ankara pass. Israel must respond with the means at its disposal and sever ties with a country that intentionally caused it damage and in the most dangerous way.

Apology

Better late than never  / Nechama Duek Op-ed: Israel was not wrong to apologize to Turkey; it's important to have an Islamic power by our side Full Story

Erdogan's Turkey is not the Turkey of the 1990s until 2000 – a period in which Turkey and Israel had a special connection. Today's Turkey is still the Turkey of the "Marmara."

We have already apologized for the "Marmara" affair, even though we were not at fault. We expressed regret and proved that we are interested in rehabilitating the relations. Considering all of the facts related to that affair, apologizing for what happened on the Gaza-bound ship was very a brave act. We did all we could to end the most severe crisis since Israel and Turkey established diplomatic relations.


Actually, the authorities in Ankara should have apologized for the "Marmara" affair. They permitted the provocation that was the voyage to Gaza – and there is no doubt they knew that aboard the vessel were terrorists from an extremist anti-Israel organization. Therefore, there is no problem with freezing the relations, which do not exist anyway.


As long as Turkey is ruled by Erdogan, the radical Muslim who essentially turned the country into a dictatorship and is trampling the basic rights in a democratic regime – such as freedom of speech and the freedom to protest – there is no chance of maintaining proper relations with Turkey.

Therefore, Israel must wait for Erdogan's reign to end. Only then will we be able to restore the close relations which had existed between Israel and Turkey for years.