Turks take to the streets in record numbers to protest once-near-ally Israel's onslaught in Gaza, reports Gareth Jenkins Hundreds of thousands of Turks braved bitterly cold winter weather Sunday to take to the streets in rallies across the country to protest against Israel's continuing military onslaught in Gaza. The rallies were the largest public demonstrations in Turkish history against something happening outside the country's borders and have dealt a devastating blow to any Israeli hopes of support or understanding for its actions in what was once the closest it had to an ally in the Muslim world. The largest rally was in Istanbul's Caglayan Square where the Turkish police estimated that 200,000 demonstrators gathered to condemn the ongoing Israeli military operations against Gaza. Many of the protesters wore headbands bearing the slogan "We are all Palestinians" or held dolls daubed with red paint to symbolise the Palestinian children killed in the Israeli attacks. In the city of Diyarbakir, in the predominantly Kurdish southeast of the country, an estimated 50,000 protesters chanted slogans in Turkish and Kurdish condemning Israel and declaring their solidarity with the Palestinians. Tens of thousands more protesters staged smaller rallies across the country in an unprecedented outpouring of anti-Israeli sentiment. The Israeli air attacks and subsequent ground offensive have also infuriated members of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (JDP). In 1996, Turkey and Israel signed a series of defence training and defence industry cooperation agreements. At the time, there was considerable speculation about whether the agreements would form the basis for a strategic alliance between the two countries. However, bilateral ties were already coming under strain even before the moderate Islamist JDP came to power in November 2002; not least as the result of public unease at Israel's policies towards the Palestinians and allegations that Israeli companies had bribed Turkish officials to ensure they secured lucrative defence industry contracts. Nevertheless, even though its members made little secret of their sympathy for the Palestinians, the JDP government had continued to engage with Israel. The relationship has undoubtedly had its problems. In February 2006, Israel protested angrily when professor Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's chief foreign policy advisor, invited Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal to Ankara. But bilateral trade continued to grow. Turkey's Mediterranean coast remains a favourite destination for Israeli tourists. And the Israeli air force still conducts exercises at the Turkish military airbase at Konya in Anatolia, while Turkish pilots travel to Israel for training by the Israelis. The JDP has also tried hard to establish Turkey as an impartial intermediary between Israel and the Arab states. Through 2008, Turkish officials and diplomats worked vigorously, mostly out of the public eye, to try to broker a peace agreement between Israel and Syria. But any faith the JDP may once have had in the sincerity of Israeli officials has been badly damaged by the latest Israeli military attacks on Gaza. In its official statements, the Turkish government has joined with the vast majority of the international community in condemning what it has described as Israel's "disproportionate" use of force and calling on the Israeli government to exercise restraint. On Sunday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement declaring that: "We condemn and find it unacceptable that Israel has begun a ground operation in spite of the warnings and reactions from the international community." Several government ministers have been more blunt. On Sunday, Justice Minister Mehmet Ali described Israel as the "leading provocateur of global terror". Turkish officials have also been infuriated by what they believe was a deliberate attempt by the Israeli government to mislead them. On 22 December 2008, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert paid a brief visit to Ankara, primarily to discuss the ongoing peace negotiations with Syria. During the course of their meetings, Turkish officials believe they were assured by Olmert that military action against Gaza was not imminent. As a result, when Israel launched air strikes on Gaza a few days later, the Turkish officials' outrage at what they regarded as Israel's callous disregard for civilian casualties was compounded by a sense of betrayal. When he issued his first public statement on the air strikes, Erdogan expressed not only dismay at the civilian deaths and injuries but also his fury at being deceived. "They have insulted us," declared Erdogan. After Israel launched its attacks on Gaza, Syria announced that it was withdrawing from the peace process brokered by Turkey. It is still too early to assess whether, if and when the bloodletting in Gaza comes to an end, the JDP government will be willing to try again. But there is no doubting the current level of hostility towards Israel inside Turkey. In February 2006, many Turkish diplomats -- and even some members of the JDP -- were disturbed by Davutoglu's decision to invite Mashaal to Ankara; not only because of concerns about Hamas's methods and hardline Islamist agenda, but also because they feared that hosting the leader of what many countries characterise as a terrorist organisation would undercut Turkey's own calls for the international isolation of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). But it is unlikely that there would be any objections now if Davutoglu were to repeat the invitation. Nor is there any doubt that if Mashaal or any other leading member of Hamas was to visit Turkey, hundreds of thousands of Turks would be ready to take to the streets to fete them as heroes.
