Risk of crisis in relations between Turkey and Israel due to monument for alleged Armenian genocide

While normalization steps have been taken in relations between Turkey and Israel recently, a worrying development has taken place in the city of Haifa. A worrying move has come while the normalization efforts that started recently on the Turkey-Israel line, where relations have reached a freezing point in recent years, are continuing…

After the municipality of Haifa, the third largest city in Israel, accepted the “So-called Armenian Genocide” two months ago, the decision to erect a monument for those who lost their lives in the events of 1915 created a crisis on the Ankara-Tel Aviv line.

Israeli media reported that recently appointed Turkish Ambassador to Israel sent a letter to Israeli Minister of Culture Miki Zohar expressing his discomfort with the issue. A report in Yedioth Ahronot, one of Israel’s widely read newspapers, also stated that Zohar did not respond to the letter and forwarded it to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, while it also turned out that an instruction was sent not to respond to Turkish Ambassador’s letter.

“If Turkey insists against the construction of this monument, Ankara will also be told that this situation is related to the local government and that they cannot interfere, and the Israeli government or the state will be told that it is independent of this situation,” local media reported.

TURKEY PREPARING TO PUT PRESSURE

While the Israeli media reported that this issue was very sensitive, it also shared that Turkey planned to pressure the Israeli government not to erect a monument to the municipality of Haifa.

It was also stated that the monument would be built on Ben Gurion Boulevard in accordance with the decision taken by the Haifa City Council 2 months ago. After the city named Petah Tikva, Haifa became the second city where the so-called Armenian genocide was recognized.