Tulin DALOGLU

Brokering Mideast peace; Take Turkey as an example

The Washington Times

BYLINE: By Tulin Daloglu, SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES

The Annapolis meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is destined to make history. But there is already confusion over what kind of history – from the timing to the substance, there are rumblings that the Bush administration’s failed Middle East policies have reached a new level of desperation, that the president is concerned with his legacy and that administration officials are bewildered that they can’t figure out what’s gone wrong.
Yet in the midst of all the pessimism, Akiva Eldar, senior columnist for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, argued in a recent speech that something good has happened for the state of Israel in every 30 years since 1917. In November 1917, the Balfour Declaration promised a home for Jews in Palestine; in November 1947, the United Nations partition plan divided the Palestine territory into Jewish and Arab states; and in November 1977, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat traveled to Jerusalem, signing the first-ever peace treaty between an Arab state and the Jewish state.
Being mindful of the necessary cautions, it is possible to continue this trend. Last week, Shimon Peres became the first Israeli president to speak before a Muslim parliament in Turkey. It’s likely that the Saudis, the Gulf States and Syria will attend the Annapolis meeting at the same table with Israeli officials – indicating a fait accompli recognition of the Jewish state. And it is time.
It is time because the hatred toward the Jewish state and antagonism toward American policies do not wash the Arab states clean. Yes, the Iraqi occupation is decorated with mistakes. But their corrupt regimes, which showed little respect for human rights, justice, freedom of speech and assembly, are at least equally responsible for the radicalization of the region. Although all of the region’s troubles are not directly connected to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the perception that everything is linked all together creates a reactionary socio-political atmosphere.
Today, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak speaks of his concern about the Muslim Brotherhood’s rising popularity, but takes almost no responsibility for his failures. Saudi King Abdullah takes pride in being the guardian of Mecca and Medina and in representing a tolerant religion – but his kingdom restricts the worship of other faiths and bans Bibles and crucifixes. Yet the king recently met Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, raising hopes that a visit by the pope to the kingdom could soon be possible.
The worry is that if Annapolis fails, it will trigger another intifada – and that will empower radical Islamists in the region to such a degree that it could destabilize every Arab state separately, setting the stage for civil wars. In such an atmosphere, Iran will not only intensify using Hamas and Hezbollah to increase its influence in the region, but will most likely find the time to finish the building of a nuclear weapon – undeniably shifting the power of balance in its favor.
Turkey’s actions last week should have sent a strong message to Muslim nations in the region. In all fairness, Turkey’s impact on the policies of Arab countries is limited. But Turkey made a crucial statement by reinforcing its ties with Israel and inviting Mr. Peres to address the Turkish Parliament. Furthermore, it also made a point by leading a project that culminated in the signing of an agreement by the Turkish, Israeli and Palestinian leaders to build joint industrial zones in the West Bank, which will create new job opportunities and contribute to the well-being of Palestinians and Israelis. With those steps intact, Turkey is trying to be part of the solution, not the problem.
Further, as to the linked perceptions, the Kurdish issue is as sensitive to Turkey as the Palestinian dilemma is to Arab nations. When Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with President Bush at the White House on Nov. 5, there were speculations that Turkey would launch a unilateral cross-border operation into Northern Iraq in response to attacks by the Kurdish separatist PKK. But Turkey refrained – and began receiving actionable intelligence from the U.S. It also started self-criticism on the Kurdish issue.
In addition, Deniz Baykal, the leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) – the main opposition party – said recently that he believes Israeli leaders are sincere when they say they want to preserve Iraq’s territorial integrity. “I believe that they are not doing anything to hurt Turkey,” Mr. Baykal said. It says something that neither the government nor the military is convinced that American and Israeli policies are directly targeting Turkey’s territorial integrity or national security – although there could have been a blaze that attempted otherwise.
Turkey is showing that it is determined to retain its strategic partnership with the United States and Israel. The Turkish establishment should have concluded that to attempt a full-fledged war to take on the United States as regards the Kurdish dilemma will bring no good. If only Arab nations were to take Turkey as an example – such as accepting responsibility for their failures, stop denying full cooperation with the United States in Iraq and recognizing the state of Israel – we would be one step closer to peace in the region.
Tulin Daloglu is a freelance writer.