İsrail ve Ermenistan Türkiye karşısınta güçlerini birleştirecekler mi?

 

WILL ISRAEL AND ARMENIA UNITE OVER TURKEY?
by Elad Benari

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/140449
11/04/10

Israel's new Ambassador to Armenia, Shmuel Meirom, recently submitted
his credential to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. While this
protocol event would normally not receive much attention, an analysis
that appeared in ArmeniaNow suggests that the appointment of new
Israeli ambassador to Armenia might mean that a new level in the
relations between Armenia and Israel could be reached.

According to the analysis, this new level of relations could be a
direct result of the recent complications in Turkish-Israeli relations.

The report suggests that if Armenian-Israeli relations deepen, the
powerful Jewish lobby in the United States could theoretically back
the Armenian resolutions on genocide and undermine Turkey.

During and after World War I, the Ottoman Empire, whose seat of power
became independent Turkey, uprooted Armenians from their homes, and
conducted forced marches to the desert of what is today Syria. This
became known as the Armenian Genocide. Some 1 to 1.5 million Armenians
were slaughtered between 1915 and 1923.

The Republic of Turkey, however, refuses to acknowledge that the
Ottomans indeed performed genocide on the Armenians and attempts to
block all recognition of the Armenian debacle.

In an article in The Washington Times under the headline "American
Jewish community ends support of Turkish interests on [Capitol] Hill",
Eli Lake reminded readers that in 2008, leading Jewish organizations
decided that they would no longer block the adoption of the Armenian
Genocide resolution in Congress. Lake believed that this was a
response to the worsening Israeli-Turkish relations at the time,
a circumstance that could very well repeat itself now.

Relations between Turkey, a non-Arab Moslem state, and Israel, which
were once friendly, have been strained recently, and particularly
since last May's Gaza aid flotilla. Turkey has demanded an apology
from Israel for overtaking the Mavi Marmara ship after IDF soldiers
were attacked by the so-called peace activists on board. Israel has
refused to issue such an apology.

Meirom, the new Ambassador to Armenia, is a career diplomat with
more than 30 years of experience. Previously, he headed the Israeli
Foreign Ministry department for CIS countries, and in recent years
was Israel's ambassador to Croatia. When he handed his credentials to
the Armenian president, Meirom said that "cooperation between Armenia
and Israel can contribute to peace and prosperity in the region" and
assured the Armenian leadership that "Israel wants to raise bilateral
relations to an excellent level."

On the flip side, relations between Turkey and Israel have received
another blow following reports that Turkey has added Israel to its
so-called "Red Book," a top-secret security document that lists the
country's threats and enemies.

The Los Angeles Times on Monday quoted Turkish media reporting that
the Red Book, a document drawn up by Turkey's National Security
Council and amended every five years, now identifies Israel as a
"strategic threat" to Turkey, accuses it of being a destabilizing
force and says Israeli actions could provoke a regional arms race.

There are conflicting reports on whether or not Iran has been removed
from the same list.

In response to Turkey's move, Israeli Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov
called on Israelis to boycott Turkey as a tourist destination out
of what he called "national honor." Turkey had been Israeli tourists
favorite spot for vacations, a function of proximity and lower costs
than western countries.

At the same time and in what some see as a surprising move, Turkey has
excluded Armenia from the Red Book. Armenian website NEWS.am quoted
Turkish studies expert Ruben Melkonyan who attempted to explain the
move and said that while "Armenia cannot be considered as an external
threat to Turkey," Turkey's actions "pursue far-reaching goals to
drive a wedge between Armenia and Diaspora. This step may be followed
by a statement indicating that the Armenian Diaspora, not Armenia,
is posing a threat from the viewpoint of international recognition
of the Armenian Genocide."

Melkonyan addressed Turkey's addition of Israel to the list and noted
that by doing so Ankara wants to strengthen its position in the Muslim
world by showing that Turkey's actions against Israel are intentional
and not just demonstrative.