TV series row erodes Turkey-Israel relations

The once-flourishing Israeli-Turkish alliance has worsened after Turkey’s state-run broadcasting authority began airing a series about the plight of Palestinians in Gaza. The series, called "Separation: Palestine in Love and in War," portrayed Israeli forces murdering civilians.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry on Thursday summoned acting Turkish ambassador in Tel Aviv Ceylan Özen to protest the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, or TRT, for broadcasting a series that it says incites hatred against Israel.

“Israel attributes great importance to its relationship with Turkey. It will not stand idle in the face of such blatant incitement against Israel and members of the Israeli Defense Forces,” said Deputy Director-General of the ministry’s Western European division Naor Gilon, adding that such incitement could lead to physical assaults against Jewish people.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu responded to the accusations from Israel by pointing to “the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza” as the main source of deteriorating relations. "Unfortunately, the Gaza offensive dealt a big blow to peace efforts,” Davutoğlu said Friday morning at a press conference.

Davutoğlu said that as a foreign minister, his agenda was full with regional and international meetings and that he had no time to worry about a TV series. “TRT is autonomous … and I do not think it is appropriate for government officials to comment on its programs,” he said.

Israeli Ambassador to Ankara Gabby Levy also visited the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Friday afternoon to convey his country’s objections. Levy detailed Israel’s concerns in a meeting with Middle East Department Director-General Ömür Şölendil.

Levy expressed his disappointment with how a state-funded network could broadcast what he called a provocative episode. He also said the show would incite hatred against Israel and spread anti-Semitic waves across the country.

The row between Turkey and Israel erupted when Israel was excluded from joint military drills in Central Anatolia last week.

"As long as the human tragedy in Gaza continues, no one should expect us to be part of a military picture" with Israel, Davutoğlu said.

The Gaza offensive also led to the disruption of indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria that Turkey had mediated since May 2008.

“When there is a return to the peace track, these relations of trust [with Israel] will be re-established at the same level as before,” Davutoğlu said. “The Gaza offensive killed the prospective of peace in the region.”

"Ending the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, reviving peace efforts – both on the Palestinian and Syrian track – and most importantly, reinstating a prevailing spirit of peace in the region … this is what we want," he said.

The recent events are seen as a continuation of when Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stormed out of a debate about the Gaza war in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 29 after criticizing Israeli President Shimon Peres.

President, deputy PM try to ease tension

A move to ease the tension came Friday from the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, when Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said there was “no anti-Semitic motivation.”

“We do not intend to ruin Israeli-Turkish relations because of this series. We are not enemies of Jews or anti-Semitic. I will contact the ambassador [Levy] to ease his worries, ” said Arınç, who is in charge of the state-run media organizations.

Levy had also requested to meet with TRT General Manager İbrahim Şahin and Arınç to express Israel’s dissatisfaction.

Turkey has been Israel’s key regional ally for a long time. The two clinched a military cooperation deal in 1996.

Asked to comment on the row stemming from “Anatolian Eagle” drills and the “Separation” series, President Abdullah Gül sounded hopeful. “I’m sure that the government is carefully dealing with these issues,” he said. “From time to time, such ups and downs may take place, but overall they don’t harm the basic relations.”

Turkey’s reaction against US series

A similar row was experienced between the United States and Turkey four years ago. Turkey officially reacted to U.S. film and television productions after Fox TV broadcasted a series called “24” that identified a Turkish family as members of a terrorist network in February 2005. The episode in question showed a major terrorist plot against the United States was found to have originated in Ankara, Turkey.

Then-Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül urged his U.S. counterpart, Condoleezza Rice, to take measures against anti-Turkish productions. Rice in an effort to ease tension said she saw Turkey’s worries but that the White House had no authority over Hollywood productions.

Later, Turkey’s then-Ambassador to Washington Faruk Loloğlu sent a letter to the production companies by asking them to be careful regarding defamation and anti-Turkey sentiments.

Fox decided to remove some footage or modify the outcome to some degree for later episodes.

Emmy prize-winning “The West Wing” on NBC also identified Turkey as a Shariah-ruled country in which women are beheaded. Upon reactions from the Turkish Embassy, Jeff Zucker, president of the NBC television network, and John Wells, executive producer of the NBC series “The West Wing,” apologized for the inaccurate portrayal of Turkey.