InternationalWashington briefing: Turkey bars Israel from war games in latest snub
Published: Saturday October 17, 2009
Anatolian Eagle exercise emblem. Turkish air force photo
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Washington - Ankara barred the Israeli air force from the annual "Anatolian Eagle" exercises conducted in Turkey together with NATO since 2001, international media reported on October 11. The United States and Italy have pulled out of the war games as a result.
The decision, reportedly first relayed to the Israelis on October 8, was only the latest in the Turkish government's recent steps to distance itself from Israel.
At the World Economic Forum held in Switzerland last January Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan publicly clashed with Israeli President Shimon Peres over Israel's invasion of Gaza at the end of 2008.
Last month Mr. Erdogan devoted much of his United Nations address to the Gaza crisis. And this week Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told CNN that the improvement of Israeli-Turkish relations depended on Israel negotiating with the Palestinian leadership in Gaza.
In its October 12 editorial, the Jerusalem Post called the move "an unprecedented slap in the face" and argued that "Ankara appears to be doing everything it can to junk its relationship with the Jewish state," merely using Gaza as an excuse.
Israeli officials sought to play down the development, citing Turkey's importance, but off the record they reportedly threatened to "review" weapons sales to Turkey in retaliation.
For his part, Ephraim Inbar, a veteran proponent of Israeli-Turkish relations, suggested dropping support for Turkey in its lobbying against the Armenian Genocide resolution in U.S. Congress.
"If they behave, we should help; if not, then while we should not actively work against them, we should let them know that there is a price for their misbehavior," Mr. Inbar suggested.
Israeli aircraft first began training in Turkish airspace on a bilateral basis in 1996. According to the Turkish air force web site, Israelis took part in the inaugural Anatolian Eagle in 2001, as well as in 2003, 2004, 2005, and again, most recently, in September 2008.
