Irit Lillian, Israel’s charge d’affaires in Ankara, has played a central role in the long process since her appointment in February 2021. “From the beginning, it was clear that we were building a process in which we agree to disagree,” Lilian told The Times of Israel during an interview on Thursday. “We know that there are some points on which we currently do not agree. We can go ahead and solve them later.” A major point of contention is Hamas’ office in Istanbul, which Ankara insists is only engaged in political activities. Israel accuses Hamas of using its center in Turkey to direct terror attacks and has publicly called for the office to be closed. Get The Times of Israel Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms “The offices of Hamas in Istanbul will be closed,” then-Foreign Minister Yair Lapid promised in November, after Israel announced the capture of a 50-member Hamas cell based in the West Bank and operating out of Istanbul. But ’tis still there, [and] it’s a huge hurdle,” lamented Lillian. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog speak to the media after their talks, in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. (AP/Burhan Ozbilici) However, Lilian — who served as Israel’s ambassador to Bulgaria and Australia — said the renewed ties are being built in a way that allows the sides to handle tensions quietly and constructively. “We are moving towards proper, positive bilateral relations, which have a wide range of activities, but we know that there are points where we do not agree,” he said. “We know we’re not going to have a perfect wedding.” The two sides are creating a “de-confliction mechanism” to help them deal with almost inevitable disagreements. “We want to do everything we can to build a structure that can withstand political earthquakes in the future,” he explained.
Making lemonade
There is no shortage of potential friction points. Beyond disagreements over the resolution of Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians, both regional powers are conducting military operations in Syria – although Turkey is much more deeply involved – and both are major players in gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean. A helicopter flies over the Turkish drilling rig “Fatih” which was dispatched to the eastern Mediterranean near Cyprus on July 9, 2019. (Turkish Defense Ministry via AP, Pool) But these topics also represent areas of potential collaboration. During the reconciliation process, Israel and Turkey managed to turn more extreme episodes into confidence-building opportunities. In November, an Israeli couple was detained for a week in Turkey on suspicion of espionage. Israeli leaders publicly thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for helping to free them. In June, Israel and Turkey worked to thwart an Iranian plot to attack Israeli tourists in the country to avenge a series of assassinations and strikes on Iranian military and nuclear targets. “It was an incident that allowed for excellent cooperation between the Turkish and Israeli security services,” Lilian said. “These two episodes show you can make lemonade out of lemons.”
Oxygen pumping
Israel was convinced of Turkey’s seriousness from the level of official dialogue on restoring relations. In addition to high-profile visits to Turkey by President Isaac Herzog and Lapid, and phone conversations between senior Israeli leaders and Erdogan, top advisers and diplomats held important meetings to advance the process. Turkish and Israeli officials meet in Jerusalem on February 17, 2022, to prepare for President Isaac Herzog’s upcoming visit to Turkey. From left, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alon Ushpiz, Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sadat Onal, Head of the Office of the President Eyal Shviki and Senior Advisor to the Turkish President İbrahim Kalın (Courtesy) In February, a Turkish delegation, led by İbrahim Kalin, Erdogan’s spokesman and senior adviser, and Deputy Foreign Minister Sadat Onal met with Foreign Ministry Director General Alon Ushpiz and Director General of the President’s Office Eyal Shviki. Officials laid out a road map to restore full ties. “That oxygen was missing from the relationship for a long time,” Lillian said. Once strong regional allies, Israel and Turkey saw their ties fray earlier in Erdogan’s tenure, when the Turkish leader was a more outspoken critic of Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians. Israel has also been angered by Erdogan’s warm relations with Hamas, the terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, shakes hands with Hamas terrorist leader Ismail Haniyeh before their meeting in Istanbul, Feb. 1, 2020. (Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool) The countries mutually withdrew their ambassadors in 2010 after Israeli forces boarded a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians trying to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Although most of the participating ships boarded without incident, those on a Turkish ferry violently resisted the Israeli action, resulting in the deaths of nine Turkish activists. Relations slowly improved but collapsed again in 2018 after Turkey, angered by the United States moving its embassy to Jerusalem, once again recalled its envoy from Israel, prompting Israel to retaliate. The long journey in last week’s announcement began in May 2020, as an El Al plane landed in Turkey for the first time in 10 years, as part of an operation to transport medical supplies to Israel at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Israel’s ambassador to Turkey, Eitan Na’eh, underwent a strict security check at an Istanbul airport on May 16, 2018, after being ordered to leave the country. (Screenshot) In the months that followed, Turkey — faced with regional isolation, economic woes and a potentially hostile president in the White House — proved a more willing partner. Israel, enjoying growing ties with Turkey’s rivals and insisting on seeing evidence that Ankara would not take sides, was content to sit back. The slow process has gained momentum over the past year, with a new Israeli government in power and Herzog taking an active diplomatic role. There are several steps that will be taken in the coming weeks to reflect the current positive trend. Israel’s financial consul will be sent to Istanbul to resume his work from the Israeli consulate in the city after a three-year absence. An air deal allowing Israeli carriers to resume flights to Turkey for the first time since 2007 is also expected to be finalized soon. Israel must also go through the ambassador selection process, which is more complicated during a transitional government and will require the approval of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara as well as the Foreign Ministry committee that selects envoys. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid speaks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara on June 23, 2022. (Boaz Oppenheim/GPO) Lilian expressed hope that Lapid would use a professional diplomat in the position rather than a political appointee.
Open doors
Despite arriving in Ankara when bilateral relations were still shaky, Lilian said Turkish officials were much more receptive to her than she expected. “I was prepared to be told that I would not be able to meet with senior officials and that officials at lower levels would put a red tape in the bureaucracy,” she said. “But it didn’t happen. The doors opened for me.” Although there were some restrictions on her access, Lilian said she felt Turkish officials wanted to talk to her. Lilian likened serving as an Israeli diplomat to Turkey to sailing the Mediterranean Sea. “There are stormier times, and there are calmer times when you just enjoy the view.”
