Turgut Özal Dönemi Türkiye-İsrail Siyasi İlişkilerinin Türk Basınına Yansımaları (1983-1993)
Enes KüçükTürkiye-İsrail siyasi ilişkilerinde İsrail’in 1948’de kuruluşundan itibaren Arap devletleriyle yaşamış olduğu çatışmalardan (1956, 1967 ve 1973 Arap-İsrail savaşları) kaynaklı olarak diplomatik krizler yaşanmıştır. Arap-İsrail çatışmalarının yaşandığı dönem de iki ülke ilişkileri gelişme imkânı bulamamıştır. 1980’li yıllara gelindiğinde Turgut Özal’ın ekonomik temelli politikaları Türkiye’yi İslam ülkelerine yaklaştırırken, İsrail’le diplomatik ilişkilerin geliştirilmesini geciktirmiştir. Turgut Özal’ın Türk dış politikasında etkisinin azaldığı Demirel İnönü koalisyon hükûmeti döneminde (19 Aralık 1991) iki ülke arasındaki diplomatik temsil düzeyi büyükelçilik seviyesine çıkarılmıştır. Bu çalışmada Turgut Özal dönemi (1983-1993) Türkiye-İsrail siyasi ilişkilerinin Türk basınına yansımalarını ortaya koymak amaçlanmaktadır. Bu çerçevede araştırmanın bulguları döneme ışık tutan arşiv belgeleri, Cumhuriyet, Güneş, Hürriyet ve Milliyet gazetelerine yansıyan haberler, Turgut Özal’ın basına vermiş olduğu beyanatlar, diğer süreli yayınlar ve kitaplardan doküman incelemesi tekniği ile toplanmıştır. Elde edilen veriler içerik analiziyle çözümlenmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda Türkiye’nin 1983-1991 yılları arasında İsrail’le ikili ilişkilerini geliştiremediği, 1991 yılında ise gerekli şartların oluşmasıyla birlikte iki ülke ilişkilerinin gelişmeye başladığı görülmüştür.
The Reflections of Türkiye-Israel Political Relations in the Turkish Press (1983-1993) during the Period of Turgut Özal
Enes KüçükSince the establishment of Israel in 1948, Türkiye-Israel political relations have experienced diplomatic crises due to the conflicts with Arab states (the 1956, 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars). During these periods of Arab-Israeli conflicts, the relations between the two countries did not have the opportunity to develop. In the 1980s, while Turgut Özal’s economic-based policies brought Türkiye closer to Islamic countries, it delayed the development of diplomatic relations with Israel. The level of diplomatic representation between the two countries was elevated to the status of an embassy during the Demirel-Inönü Coalition Government on December 19, 1991, a period when Turgut Özal's influence on Turkish foreign policy was waning. This study aims to uncover the political relations between Türkiye and Israel during the Turgut Özal period (1983-1993) and their reflections in the Turkish press. The findings of the research were collected from archival documents, news reflected in Cumhuriyet, Güneş, Hürriyet, and Milliyet newspapers, Turgut Özal’s statements to the press, other periodicals, and books through document analysis techniques. The data obtained were analyzed using the Content Analysis Technique. The study concluded that Türkiye could not develop its bilateral relations with Israel between 1983 and 1991, and the relations between the two countries began to develop as the necessary conditions were met starting from 1991.
Türkiye-Israel diplomatic relations started with the recognition of Türkiye regarding the State of Israel on March 28, 1949, approximately one year after its establishment on May 14, 1948. Türkiye’s diplomatic crises with Israel as a result of the Arab-Israeli wars became an important determinant of the relations between the two countries over time. Türkiye’s recall of its ambassador in Tel Aviv during the 1956 Arab-Israeli War, its condemnation of Israel during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, demanding Israel’s withdrawal from Arabian territories occupied by Israel (June 22, 1967), and the declaration that Türkiye would allow the Soviet Union to use its airspace to deliver military supplies to Arab countries affected the relations between the two countries negatively. Similarly, Türkiye’s bilateral relations with Israel followed a fluctuating course until the 1980s after it accepted Zionism as racism at the meeting of the United Nations on November 10, 1975. Israel’s declaration of Jerusalem as the eternal and unchanging capital on July 23, 1980, caused a new crisis in the relations between the two countries. After this decision of Israel, Türkiye condemned Israel with the Resolution 478 of the United Nations by recalling the Chargé D’affaires and reducing its diplomatic relations with this state to the lowest level.
Türkiye tried to improve its relations with the Islamic World after reducing the level of diplomatic representation with Israel to the level of Second Clerk. The thoughts and political understanding of Turgut Özal, who served as the Prime Minister and President of Türkiye in the 1980s and 1990s, also affected Türkiye’s decision to develop bilateral relations with Islamic countries. During his tenure, Turgut Özal argued that the Muslim population living in the Ottoman remnant regions had a privileged place in Turkish foreign policy, and for this reason, Türkiye must lead the Islamic countries. Another factor that affected Özal’s political thoughts was his economy-oriented foreign policy approach. Özal adopted an economy-oriented foreign policy understanding throughout his political life and believed that the political problems between states could be resolved through the development of economic relations and interdependence, and he built his policies in the field of international relations on economic foundations.
Turgut Özal’s understanding of economy-based foreign policy was a determining factor in Türkiye’s relations with the Middle Eastern countries between 1983-1993 when he served as the Prime Minister and President. Although Türkiye’s total exports to the Middle East were 18% and imports 22% in the 1970s, its exports increased to 40% and imports to 35% in the 1980s, when Özal remained in power. Although Türkiye established closer ties with Islamic states to find solutions to the problems, it did not prioritize the development of its bilateral relations with Israel and remained distant from this state.
Despite Türkiye’s development of economic relations with Islamic states, its distance from Israel caused serious discomfort during these years. As a result, although Turkish statesmen in the 1980s believed that Israel should withdraw from the Arabian lands occupied in 1967 to achieve peace in the Middle East, Türkiye-Israel relations could not develop further until the early 1990s. This study aims to uncover the political relations between Türkiye and Israel between the years 1983 and 1993 when Turgut Özal was the Prime Minister and President. To understand how Türkiye’s policies towards Israel were shaped during this period, Türkiye-Israel relations after September 12, 1980 were also discussed. The sources of this historical study, that was based on document analysis, include the newspapers Cumhuriyet, Milliyet, Hürriyet, and Güneş, as well as statements of Turgut Özal given to the press, other periodicals, books, and archive documents of the same period. The findings of the study were collected using the document analysis technique, and the data were analyzed with the content analysis technique. The political relations of the two countries were discussed under four headings: “A General Overview of Türkiye-Israel Political Relations after September 12, 1980 (1980-1983)”, “Türkiye Israel Political Relations during the 1st Özal Government (1983-1987)”, “Türkiye-Israel Political Relations during the 2nd Özal Government (1987-1989)”, and “Türkiye-Israel Political Relations during the Presidency of Turgut Özal (1989-1993)”.
The study found that Türkiye’s political relations with Israel did not develop significantly as a reflection of Turgut Özal’s foreign policy understanding between 1983-1991 when he served as Prime Minister and President. The idea of establishing bilateral relations remained at the level of mere discourse until 1991. The establishment of the Demirel-İnönü Coalition Government in Türkiye decreased Özal’s influence in foreign policy, and the level of diplomatic representation between Türkiye and Israel was raised to the level of an embassy in December 1991.
