World

June 22, 2010

Turkey’s Consul General Speaks of Its Friend Israel

by Jonah Lowenfeld, Contributing Writer

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Last week, while New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman was in Istanbul talking to businessmen, journalists and academics about the “fight for Turkey’s soul,” R. Hakan Tekin, Turkey’s chief representative in Los Angeles, offered up a local version of his country’s official perspective.

“We have a saying in Turkish: ‘Friends speak the bitter truth,’ ” the consul general said over an afternoon cup of Turkish coffee in his office on Wilshire Boulevard. “Turkey is a friend of Israel and is speaking the bitter truth — that their policies and practices in the region are not helping them.”

With Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling last month’s flotilla incident an example of “state terrorism” and the nation’s ministry of foreign affairs saying that “Israel has once again clearly demonstrated that it does not value human lives,” it might be hard to remember that the two countries had, until recently, long been steadfast allies. Tekin, who has headed the Los Angeles consulate since April 2007, experienced the closeness of Turkish-Israeli relations firsthand.

“When I first started here, my first contacts were with the Jewish community,” Tekin said. He connected with leaders of the Anti-Defamation League, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, to name a few. Last November, he sat on a panel at Pepperdine University titled “Finding Common Ground: Reconciliation Among the Children of Abraham” with his Israeli counterpart in Los Angeles, Jacob Dayan. “Jacob is a very good friend of mine,” Tekin said. “We have a very close relationship. Of course, we are not agreeing on everything, especially these days.”

But even back in “the good old days,” when Tekin spoke to audiences at the American Jewish Committee or at Hillcrest Country Club, the Q-and-A sessions weren’t easy. Asked to recall some of the more challenging questions he was asked, Tekin didn’t hesitate: “ ‘Why is Turkey so against Israel?’ Or, ‘Why didn’t we criticize Hamas as much when they were shooting rockets at Israel?’ ”

But though Tekin used to field questions about anti-Semitism in Turkey or questions about Iran, he is sure about one thing: “If I had an event with a Jewish group these days, the only issue would be the flotilla incident.”

And from Tekin’s point of view — which is to say, Turkey’s — the ramifications of the flotilla incident on the Turkish-Israeli relationship could not be more severe: “Israel is on the verge of losing Turkey’s friendship,” the veteran diplomat said.

“The flotilla incident was a historic event for us,” Tekin said. “Never before had any group of Turkish civilians been attacked by a foreign military. So this is something serious. And this is not a government issue. The overwhelming majority of the public is furious about this.”

Political observers — including Friedman — have pointed out that Erdogan has used the flotilla incident to build political support in the lead-up to next year’s election.

“Like every politician,” Tekin responded. He pointed to Rep. Adam Schiff and the 43 other members of California’s congressional delegation who co-sponsored a bill that would affirm that the Ottoman Empire committed genocide against the Armenian people between 1915 and 1923. “Why are they so enthusiastic about the Armenian issue? And why are none of the congressmen from Montana co-sponsoring? Because this is politics. It’s a game of votes. There’s a big Armenian community here, and they [California’s representatives] want to cater to that constituency.”

Tekin was also well aware that some Jews in Israel and in the United States had also begun taking a renewed interest in “the Armenian issue,” particularly as the relationship between Israel and Turkey became more strained.

“There’s no connection between these two things, the controversy over the events of 1915, the Armenian issue — a historical issue — and Turkish-Israeli relations,” Tekin said. “And if now we see some members of Congress or some Jewish organizations saying, ‘It’s payback time: Now we should punish Turkey by recognizing the Armenian Genocide,’ and moving toward passing a resolution in Congress, I think it would be really shortsighted, counterproductive and a very opportunistic approach. It would seriously further damage the Turkish-Israeli relationship. It could cause long-term damages.”

Tekin continued: “If you look at a historical issue, you have to evaluate it within its context, within its parameters. If you are adopting a position on a certain historical controversy, you have to set your position according to what you think is right and not according to some irrelevant issue.”

In the past three weeks, Tekin has seen the pro-Israel group StandWithUs protesting outside his building and was visited by members of LA Jews for Peace, who came to his office to offer their condolences. But without a more official apology from Israel, and without a “transparent and international” investigation of what happened aboard the Mavi Marmara, “we cannot take any steps,” Tekin said. “If a confidence-building measure should be taken to improve Turkish-Israeli relations, that measure should be taken at this point by Israel.”

A version of this article appeared in print.

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Sadly, Mr Tekin is trying to relegate the Armenian Genocide as a historical issue. The Armenian Genocide is not a historical issue but a current issue of paramount importance. Denial is the last stage of genocide. It is this stage that we are in at the moment. Denial, makes it likely for genocide to be perpetrated again. Christian Armenian monuments continue to dissappear in Turkey. The Armenian minority in Turkey continues to have limited rights. The Jewish diaspora should always remember that if Turkey was appropriately punished for its crimes against the Armenians following the end of WW1, there would most likely not been a Holocaust during WW2. There is no middle ground in this issue.

Comment by David on 6/22/10 at 5:39 pm

Dear Jews: Armenian Genocide is not an article of trade! The truth about the Armenian Genocide is that it is true!

Ethnic cleansing, forced islamization of Christian ethnic groups in Ottoman Turkey and finally genocide are characteristics of so called modern Turkey

Comment by Torah on 6/22/10 at 9:08 pm

I am a Turkish-Jew and I agree with Hakan Tekin, Israel should know one thing there is no other close friend historically, never mind been Muslim country Turkey, as a country Turkey was and always is very welcoming and helpful country for 500 years, l am a living proof
Israel should decide who is a friend who is a real foe,
all Israel has to do to realize this is to read history

Comment by Mark on 6/22/10 at 11:30 pm

The Turks are not our friends and we have erroneously carried their water in Congress by helping them deny the Armenian Genocide. Indeed, the Turks are committing a new one against the Kurds as I write this. Their barbarity towards minorities transcends any wrong-doing ever committed (or not committed) by Israel The overwhelming majority of Turks are anti-Semitic and will remain so. As a Jew, I cannot ever trust the Turks.

Comment by Joseph Schwartzer on 6/23/10 at 6:26 am

The Armenian Genocide is a well documented fact and confirmed by over 20 countries, the International Association of Genocide Scholars and over 44 states in the US using our own US archival material which clearly documnets the mass murder of the Armenians at the hands of the Turks. Therefore it needs to not only be recognize but condemned as well. It is also disgusting that the Shoah needs to be remembered and of course “never again” yet another races genocide has become a political tool for many Jewish organization here in the US.

Comment by john on 6/23/10 at 7:22 am

Hey Mark, what about the U.S, Argentina, England, and many other nations which provided safety and prosperity to Jews? The Turks have been using the Jews in Turkey as symbolic showpieces for decades. What about the “wealth taxes” in Turkey during WWII? Why are there only about 20,000 Jews left in Turkey? Why does Turkey support Hamas and Hezbollah? Turkey is resting on its laurels from several centuries ago while their current behavior is more reminiscent of Iran. Jews should wash their hands of Turkey. They don’t need to be our enemy but we should not have anything to do with them.

Comment by Joseph Schwartzer on 6/23/10 at 10:57 am

I think the shaky alliance between Israel and Turkey is over and I’m fine with that. At this point it is the Islamic world versus the west, or at least it is gradually becoming the case. Israel and Jew should be wise to give up on finding any reasonable people amongst the Muslim Middle East, they do not exist. I’d rather that our own groups such as AIPAC, ADL, AJC, ZOA have nothing to do with the genocidal Turks.

Comment by Steve Halpern on 6/23/10 at 11:03 am

http://freedomist.com/2010/06/02/turkeys-holy-war-against-israel-christians-and-jews-christian-news-world-report/

http://www.americanthinker.com/2005/04/the_jihad_genocide_of_the_arme.html

Comment by For Tekin on 6/23/10 at 11:06 am

How can politicians be trusted to judge an event that they know nothing about, which happened 95 years ago in a far away land?  Yes, it is a historic event, not a social one.  There is no resemblance between the Holocaust and the Armenian attempts to carve out a land for themselves in Eastern Anatolia during World War I.  Only if you hide the fact that 5.5 Muslim Turks were also killed in the same time frame on Ottoman lands, can one be fooled into believing that Armenians were innocent.  This boghus genocide claims are the reason for unrest and instability in the Caucasus.  Armenians should immediately pull out of the lands they evaded from Azerbaijani Turks in 1991.

Comment by Jasmine on 6/23/10 at 1:13 pm

I dont expect the Turks to be honest. In the middle east the “truth” is conveniatly changing to fit the immediate need. So if Iran pays enough money, then Iran is right. And and since Ardouan got heap of popularity by going against Israel and the West, Then, the the reward creates the truth…(Their blackboard declares:Remember! the west’s s Sucker!!they’ll believe anything!!)

Comment by ora on 6/23/10 at 2:07 pm

Remember - nations do not have ‘friendships’ - they only have ‘interests’...When Israel was useful to Turkey they were friends - now Erdogan believes otherwise…
But he should pay a price for this change of heart - let us roll out the issue of Turkey’s genocide of the Armenians…
They murdered millions and never suffered for their inhumanity…

Comment by Edwin S on 6/23/10 at 2:08 pm

The Ottoman Turks accepted the Jews expelled from Christian Spain. Turkey benefited from the contributions of the Jews. The Armenians were probably among the Ten Lost Tribes, as were the Kurds. The Armenians were the first nation to convert to Christianity. It’s time for Islam’s Reformation. Turkey was in the forefront. Now it’s backsliding.

Comment by William I. Brenner on 6/23/10 at 2:44 pm

I agree with Mark. Turks is the first Moslem country to recognize Israel and many Turkish diplomats offered safe passage to Jews from Germany through Turkey to Israel by issuing them fake passports. In 1957, the prime ministers of Israel and Turkey signed a secret military alliance. There are so many others to list here.  Lastly quality of the issues that concern Armenia should not be lowered to low political standards.

Comment by Joe on 6/23/10 at 8:39 pm

Friends do not stub friends in the back, Mr. Tekin.  Flotilla was a clear provocation and expressed anti Israeli move.  As they they, save me god from such friends and I will get rid of enemies in my own

Comment by ArkadyDash on 6/23/10 at 10:02 pm

Of all people in the world for Israel to not acknowledge the Armenian Genocide - makes me wonder about the chosen people. How would they feel if countries stopped acknowledging the Holocaust and funded forums with neo-Nazis to “discuss” it? Such unacceptable behavior is outrageous.

Comment by Hurt on 6/24/10 at 1:04 am

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