"Ilham Aliyev's contribution to Türkiye-Israel rapprochement process is huge"
Political analyst Roman Gurevich in touch with Caliber.Az

ANALYTICS  19 August 2022 - 17:25

It finally happened! This is how the first phase of the resumption of Turkish-Israeli relations can be summarized. Many analysts were rather cautiously optimistic about the future of the relations. Türkiye and Israel have announced the resumption of diplomatic relations and are already discussing the appointment of ambassadors and consuls. What will happen next and what benefits has it already brought and will it lead to cooperation between the sides?

The renaissance in Turkish-Israeli relations against the backdrop of the Middle East tensions had been causing considerable skepticism among the international political establishment as well because the dispute between Türkiye and Israel had reached such a heightened level in the last few years. There seemed to be no turning back. But there were positive signs, too: one of these was the so-called "Abrahamic agreement" that Israel signed in 2020 with a number of countries in the Arab world. The obvious importance of developing ties with countries that are practically sided by side with Israel had long been on Tel Aviv's mind. Israel, of course, is not accustomed to confrontation with anyone on the political map, but, judging by all appearances, the situation was already demanding. And as the popular wisdom says - a bad peace is better than the best of wars... In general, analysts say that Tel Aviv made a confident decision to reset its relations with its neighbors even before Trump's initiatives, but the Israelis took a long time to determine the methods and tools. In addition, much in the life of Israel and its foreign policy is decided not only by the current prime minister but also by the diverse and contradictory Israeli parliament, where very different positions coexist: from conservative forces that insist on the power dominance of the Israeli state in the region, to those who almost support the demands of radical Islamists constantly threatening the country. Anyway, two years later Ankara too received a serious stimulus to renew contacts, and one of the signals came from Europe: the EU made it clear to Ankara that it would be in favor of building energy cooperation between Türkiye and Israel and that it would be good to restore it. However, good intentions are one thing and implementation is another, and Azerbaijan had an important impact on the dynamics of the process; according to analysts, in a short time, it built a real bridge of friendship between the quarreling countries.

Tel-Aviv itself is now delighted that Israel and Türkiye have reached an agreement on restoring full diplomatic relations. In this connection, the statement of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who expressed his belief that representatives of all religions - Muslims, Jews, and Christians - "can and must live together and in peace", is interesting. Israel, Herzog also noted, attaches importance to the establishment of good neighborly relations and a spirit of partnership in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, in the opinion of the Israeli political analyst Roman Gurevich, the Honorary Ambassador of the "Sohnut" World Jewish Agency in Azerbaijan, there are influential political forces in Israel that do not support attempts to normalize relations with Türkiye, believing that "it will be of little use."

The well-known Israeli political analyst told Caliber.Az that there was considerable skepticism with respect to such efforts, and many did not openly believe in the possibility of normalization. Nonetheless, President Herzog has made a principled decision to do his best. The result was his historic visit to Türkiye, a milestone on the path to improved relations between the two countries.

Gurevich said that the normalization and full restoration of relations between Israel and Türkiye is an event of great importance for both countries, the region, and beyond. The event, the scale, and significance of which can hardly be overestimated.

"Our countries occupy leading positions in the region and have an enormous influence on the processes in the Middle East and even on the processes on a global scale. After a long period of cooling, Israel and Türkiye are finally normalizing their relations, and this is an event of enormous positive significance. The rapprochement of these countries would serve the stabilization of the entire region and give a strong impetus to economic cooperation between the countries," the political analyst said.

Gurevich emphasizes the significant role President Ilham Aliyev has played in strengthening this dialogue.

"His contribution is enormous, and I think that without President Aliyev's efforts to bring Türkiye and Israel closer, this process would hardly have gone so well. I am deeply convinced that Israel must be fully aware and understand how much President Aliyev has done for the full restoration of relations between Israel and Türkiye. I remember well that night when after the victory in the Patriotic War, jubilant people with the flags of three countries - Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and Israel - took to the streets and squares in Baku. Therefore, the normalization of relations with Türkiye is, in my opinion, an urgent requirement of the moment, a vital and positive factor for our three countries seeking to stabilize the situation, the economic prosperity, and the fair resolution of conflicts existing in the world," the political scientist points out.

He also noted the invaluable importance of purposeful and consistent actions by Israeli President Isaac Herzog for the establishment of relations between Tel Aviv and Ankara.

"As a result of President Herzog's historic visit to Türkiye and his meeting with Erdogan, and the mutual understanding reached, the breakthrough was made that made full normalization of relations possible," the political scientist stressed.

According to Gurevich, actually, despite a decade of political cooling, economic ties between Israel and Türkiye have never been interrupted, and contacts between special services have continued.

"Israel appreciates Türkiye's role in disarming Iranian terrorists who were recently planning to carry out a series of terrorist attacks against Israelis. As you know, our country knows how to reciprocate good for good, and when there is a normalization of relations in full, it means that we can fully facilitate and help each other. I have no doubt that the economic turnover between the countries will grow significantly in the near future, and the intensity of tourist flows and cooperation in the field of energy and technology will increase. In other words, the old and new contacts between the countries in various fields will be strengthened at a higher level," the Honorary Ambassador said.

The cooperation in "sensitive areas," such as military cooperation and intelligence, according to Gurevich, will surely expand, because during the former partnership Israel and Türkiye had the closest relations in the field of security, and this area remains one of the most important and promising.

"We expect that Israel and Türkiye will experience a real economic blossoming of ties, including in the field of high technology, which Israel will be happy to share with Ankara. The prospects are encouraging. News of such a huge scale is rare, they are very positive and inspire hope for a better future," Roman Gurevich concluded.

Caliber.Az