Sep 25, 2008

The realpolitic of Israel-Turkey

From an article in TDN

...

He [ Prof. Efraim Inbar, professor at Bar-Ilan University] pointed out that this pattern of good relations withstood many important tests, �The AKP is a party whose members don't have particularly warm feelings towards Israel: some of its leaders I would not hesitate to call it plain anti-Semitic. Yet relations with Israel remain business as usual.�

He called the perception amongst Turks that Israel supported an independent Kurdistan a �misunderstanding,� admitting that Israel supported Kurdish independence in the 1960s as a means of weakening Iraq, but now supported a strong unified Iraq as a counterbalance to Iran. �If this sort of strategic environment continues, then business too will continue as usual, despite the fact that there are some irritants in our relationship,� Inbar added.

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