Turkey – Torn Between Two Sides

It's only fair for partners to be frank with one another. But if one country says the other is waging genocide, you know something is seriously wrong in their partnership.

In recent years, Turkey and Israel forged a close military partnership. The country is Israel's closest ally in the region.

Yet on Thursday, Turkish Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit accused Israel of waging genocide against the Palestinian people. It was Turkey's harshest criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's policies against the Palestinians to date.

Increasingly critical

Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit (photo) is increasingly critical of Israel's policies towards the Palestinians. ''A genocide against the Palestinian people is being carried out before the eyes of the world,'' Ecevit said in parliament on Thursday.

"The Sharon administration has chosen the path of occupation and war instead of peace and dialogue," Ecevit added.

On Friday he downplayed those charges. ''In this speech I touched upon the grave results the events in the Middle East could lead to,'' he told Reuters. ''My words reflected the anxiety felt in our country and our region.''

"We will continue to make our best efforts in order to ensure that a peaceful dialogue and

cooperation initiates between the two societies," the Turkish Prime Minister promised.

"Suicide of two nations"

Key politicians in Turkey have condemned Israel's most recent actions against Yasser Arafat. Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem called Israel's treatment of the Palestinians "a violation of human rights." He said the spiraling violence threatened the entire Middle East. Cem called on the U.S. to intervene to "end the suicide of two nations."

Thousands of Turks took to the streets this week to declare their solidarity with the Palestinians. They demanded Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon should end the military offensive.

On Wednesday, Turkish trade unionists laid a black wreath outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul. They shouted "Sharon is a murderer" and "Freedom for Palestinians."

On Thursday, there were anti-Israeli demonstrations in many cities across Turkey. In the Turkish capital Ankara, some 2500 demonstrators vented their anger at Israel.

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What unites Muslims and Jews

A multitude conflicting interests draw Turkey into the Middle East conflict. It's population is predominantly Muslim and strongly supports Palestinian statehood. But regardless of its ties to the Arab world, the country also sees itself as part of Europe and is a member of NATO.

And – what may be surprising at first sight – predominantly Muslim Turkey and the Jewish state share the same view on a number of key issues. Both countries see themselves as Western outposts in the Middle East. They are united in their aim to keep Syrian, Iranian and Iraqi influence in the region low. And they are bound by a military cooperation deal signed in 1996.

Since then, the Turkish and Israeli military have repeatedly staged joint maneuvers with American troops. These military exercises always caused a storm of protest from the Arab world. But that never caused Turkey to reconsider the value of this coalition.

Defense deal under scrutiny

Just before Easter, Turkey finalized a multi-million euro military cooperation deal with Israel. It's yet another step intensifying the military cooperation between the two countries. Under the accord, the Israeli state defense firm IMI (Israeli Military Industries) will upgrade 170 US-made M-60 tanks belonging to the Turkish armed forces. The deal is worth 763 million euro ($668 million).

But in light of Israel's recent incursions into Palestinian territories, many in Turkey now have second thoughts about this deal. The large majority of the people and politicians in Turkey see Israel as the aggressor behind the escalation of violence. On Tuesday, leaders of Turkish opposition parties called for the deal with IMI to be scrapped.

Turkey's influential military, however, has made clear that the IMI deal isn't up for discussion. The generals have pointed out that Turkey's tanks are in urgent need of modernization. They are unwilling to look for a new cooperation partner, since IMI is a recognized specialist for upgrading M-60 tanks.

Consequently, Turkish Prime Minister Ecevit has announced that the deal concluded with Israel on March 29 will stand. This week he was quoted as saying that the deal had been signed and could not be reversed.

Extending a hand

Ecevit is still interested in maintaining good relations with both Israelis and Palestinians. And even though his statement about Israel conducting a "genocide" may disqualify him as a neutral mediator in the Middle East conflict, his country could still play an important role in ending the violence.

The trump card now lies with Turkey's President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. In a move that could spell hope for the Middle East, Sezer this week urged a new dialogue.

Sezer said a military solution to the Middle East conflict was impossible and recommended a meeting between the different parties involved in the conflict.

And Turkey's President offered his country could host such a meeting.