The following article is extracted from the
July-August 1997
issue of
THE OTHER ISRAEL
Alliance and counter-alliance
Aside from the United States Congress, the foreign institute most friendly to
Netanyahu seems to be the Turkish Army. The Turkish generals, long accustomed to
conducting their own foreign policy with little or no regard to civil authority,
decided upon and implemented a strategic alliance with Israel, and forced it
upon Prime Minister Erbakan -- himself far from friendly to Netanyahu or to
Israel in general -- by what amounted to an open threat of coup d'etat.
Officially, it was denied that the Israeli-Turkish alliance was directed
against any third state -- but a brief glance at the map would show that Syria,
sandwiched between the two new allies and on bad terms with both of them, had a
reason to worry. Syrian apprehensions increased with the Turkish Army's invasion
in force of north Iraq, chasing Kurdish guerrillas -- which was seen as
reflecting a new Turkish confidence and aggressiveness.
But if Netanyahu expected the Turkish alliance to intimidate Damascus and
bring it back to the negotiating table on his terms, he should by now be
disappointed. Feeling threatened, the Syrians increased support both for the
Kurdish guerrillas operating against Turkey and the Lebanese ones opposing
Israel. In a move showing a toughening of their position the Syrians tightened
the alliance with Iran, and even sought a rapprochement with Iraq -- stepping
over the bitter rivalry which has divided Damascus from Baghdad for decades.
Simultaneously, Syria started mending fences with Arafat and the Palestinian
Authority.
Scenarios published in the Israeli press included more and more often the
possibility of an Israeli-Palestinian flareup drawing in the Syrians, and
possibly the Egyptians and Jordanians as well, into a total conflict. The army
resumed the distribution of Gas masks to the entire Israeli population, and
there was growing concern about reported Iranian efforts to obtain nuclear arms
and missiles capable of delivering them to targets in Israel.
The Editors
THE OTHER ISRAEL
is the newsletter of the Israeli Council for Israeli-Palestinian Peace
P.O.Box 2542
58125 Holon
Israel.
Phone/Fax: (03) 5565804
Editor: Adam Keller
Coeditor: Beate Zilversmidt
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