AWACS approval ‘half-hearted’ thaw with Israel

Israel’s recent approval, which has come fairly late in the game, of the delivery of electronic systems to be integrated into Turkey’s Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) military aircraft is the latest sign of an improvement in Turkish-Israeli ties, Middle East experts have said.
Even though it is being viewed as an “obligatory” or a “half-hearted” move made under the pressure of the Syrian crisis, analysts speaking to Sunday’s Zaman state that Israel’s approval of the AWACS delivery can be called the beginning of a somewhat “spring” in Turkish-Israeli relations, compared to the period immediately before and since the flotilla crisis of 2010 when Israeli troops staged a deadly attack on a Turkish ship, the Mavi Marmara, which was headed to Gaza to provide humanitarian aid. .
Israel’s lifting of its block to provide the additional equipment will finally allow the AWACS-compatible aircraft to become operational after the new parts are integrated in the weeks to come. The system is now at a Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) facility in Ankara. “This is a very small beginning,” said Ofra Bengio, a senior research fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies and professor at the department of Middle Eastern history at Tel Aviv University, commenting on Israel’s decision to resume military cooperation between Israel and Turkey, which was once the strongest point in Turkish-Israeli relations.
It is believed that Israel came to the decision to send the additional pieces due to pressure from US-based Boeing, manufacturers of the AWACS planes. Boeing is reported to be pressuring the country to send the equipment on the grounds that its refusal has been hurting the company’s business since mid-2012.
Turkey has signed the deal with the US to buy four Boeing 737-700 AWACS planes in 2002, to beef up its intelligence capabilities. Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) subsidiary Elta Systems won the contract to supply the electronics systems in a deal worth more than $100 million. Israel has supplied two systems, but in 2011 refused to supply the remaining two systems, following the tensions with Turkey in the wake of the flotilla crisis. “But it is still a beginning,” she continued. “Israel may be pressured to give up [on some of its reservations]. But in my opinion, it has somehow agreed because it wants to move forward … to restart the relationship with Turkey,” Bengio said. The most important reason behind the “slight warming” seems to be common concerns that both countries have on the long-term Syrian crisis. Syria is believed to have several hundred ballistic surface-to-surface missiles capable of carrying chemical warheads, and its arsenal is a particular threat to Turkey and Israel. Bengio also confirmed that the 23-month Syrian crisis “has much to do” with this improvement in relations. She said since the elections are over and a new government is in power, it is easier for Israel to take on new initiatives.
Meanwhile, Can Yirik, a foreign policy analyst holding a degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, claimed that even though such signs of warming between the two friends-turned-foes assist in building trust among the two parties, it is not enough for the countries to come to a resolution. “Maintaining dialogue [between Turkey and Israel] is an indication that the two countries belong to the same camp, in the Middle East and beyond, having common interests,” Yirik noted. Yirik said that as President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria increasingly becomes a source of concern for Israel, especially due to a chemical weapons threat, Turkish and Israeli views have started to coincide, at least for now. However, he maintained that the nature of cooperation between the two countries regarding Syria would be shaped after the new US secretary of state, John Kerry, pays a critical visit to Turkey, which is scheduled for March. The conflict in war-torn Syria is expected to be the main topic of discussion during Kerry’s meetings with Turkish officials.
The Turkish election period is also nearing with local elections scheduled for March 2014 and the general elections the following year. Observers say the Jewish country should take big steps to be able to improve Turkey’s stance on Israel, saying that when the elections period begins in 2014, it could be too late to get moving on the issue. However, Ankara is not likely to step back from its preconditions for normalization, and Israel is not likely to make major concessions.
However, Israel is not the only side that is making small gestures. Turkey did make some allowances last December by allowing Israel to participate in certain NATO activities, which it originally vetoed due to Israel’s rejection of Turkey’s conditions for the normalization of relations between the two countries. According to The Jerusalem Post, Israeli political sources believe Turkey was motivated to make this move in order not to risk the potential deployment of the Patriot missile systems on its soil. The deployment of Patriots, sent by Turkey’s NATO allies the US, Germany and the Netherlands to boost Turkey’s air defenses in the face of a missile threat from the civil war-torn Syria, was completed by the end of January.
The souring ties between Turkey and Israel hit a historic low after nine Turkish activists were killed in the 2010 flotilla raid, which also marked the first time Turkey experienced civilian casualties during an Israeli operation. Ankara demanded an official apology and compensation for the families of the victims as well as the lifting of the Israeli blockade on Gaza in order to normalize relations. Israel rejected these demands, claiming its soldiers acted in self-defense.