Turkey’s foreign policy has been a priority for its government the last several years, leading to internationally popular positions in the countries it aims to gain influence, plus the expansion of Turkish export and international business opportunities. But that policy is based on political stunts that were based more on public relations rather than real activism. The flotilla to Gaza last year came at a delicate time for Israel internationally, and sent the country’s reputation plummeting.
This year, plans have been in the offing to repeat the action. But the Turkish government has been trying to stymie this initiative rather than encourage this time around. They site changes on the ground like the opening of the Gaza Strip’s borders with Egypt and the Palestinian Unity agreement. Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu on June 6th urged the organizers to take a wait and see approach with the opening of the Rafah crossing before deciding to sail.
But who cares? Why should Turkey now want to undermine a public relations/propaganda strategy that undermines Israel’s international position?
The risk comes from the events unfolding in Syria. The crisis in Syria is far more extensive and bloody than any event that has occurred in the Gaza Strip over the last several years. Given the improving situation and even Israel’s actions to lessen the effect of its blockade on civilians, Israel will have a much easier time demonstrating to the world that the flotillas are not as much based on humanitarian needs as so much as they are aimed at embarrassing or even compromising Israel in the international arena.
Other events lately have given Israel its own public relations fuel, namely the demonstrations along its border with Syria on Nakba Day and Naksa Day. Those unprecedented demonstrations coincide with the protests in Syria, leading many skeptical commentators to call the rallies orchestrations by Syria to deflect attention in the Arab World and Syria from its crackdown. Turkey now is worried the world will begin to see PR stunts like the flotilla in the lens Israel sees them.
The fact that the project is under review from its organizers, the IHH, is also telling because of its leaders’ comments:
Gaza. Syria. The two events should have NOTHING to do with each other. The explanation I find for this sudden switch is the probable failure of the event to garner the international sympathy it is trying to generate; the world will see this as a ploy to set Israel up into an uncomfortable situation instead of helping the people of the Gaza Strip (particularly when supplies are going through the Egyptian border).
Turkey is feeling the wrath of pragmatic foreign policy. It is okay to be principled, it garners much more respect from the global public even if it causes problems with governments. Turkey accused Israel of ethnic cleansing while saying Sudan was not conducting genocide in Darfur. That type of total anachronism is symptomatic of Ankara’s political flaws. Getting so close to Assad as opposed to the democratic (even if neurotic) government of Israel was eventually going to cause Turkey problems – but who would have imagined it would happen so soon after the warming between Ankara and Damascus.
