This is no reason to apologize when you are in the right. Turkey and Israel would have found a way to do this deal even if there was no apology. As they say countries only have interests.
Secondly why is Israel selling low cost gas to Turkey and Europe. Far better to sell value added products produced with low cost gas. Thus Israel would greatly increase her exports and created new industries and much employment. It may be that this deal is worth doing for Israel but I just wanted to make the point of producing value added products. Ted Belman
Turkey and Israel: interests over grudges
By Samdat Bat Adam, ISRAEL HAYOM
Turkish media reported this week that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s apology has paved the way for a massive joint pipeline project carrying natural gas from Israel to Turkey and from there to Europe. There is no overestimating the influence joint economic interests can have on stable relations between countries.
It is said that during a private conversation, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion once thanked French President Charles de Gaulle for France’s help to Israel, attributing it to the strong alliance and friendship between the two countries. To which De Gaulle replied, “France has no friends, only interests.”
Turkey too has interests. Despite Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an’s seeming attempts in recent years to turn Israel from a friend to an enemy, especially since the Mavi Marmara incident, it turns out that our common economic interests have been maintained and even gained momentum. It would be safe to say that beneath the outward hostility, a lot of positive energy has been flowing between the two countries.
Energy, as in energy markets, that is. Over six months ago a modest ceremony was held at the Azrieli Center, during which the Edeltech Group Ltd. marked the securing of financing for two electricity cogeneration power plants in Ashdod and Ramat Negev. These stations are expected to produce about 200 megawatts, on top of the 830 megawatts to be produced by the Dorad power plant in Ashkelon, which is in the final stages of construction.
Two additional power plants are in the offing, Solad and Tamar, which will add about 200 megawatts to the market. Together, these power plants would increase Israel’s electricity producing ability by about 10 percent.
The senior partner of Edeltech, Ahmet Zorlu, is the owner of Zorlu Holding, the second largest holding company in Turkey. Zorlu of course took part in the ceremony, along with his partners and family members. Israel’s success is his gain. Every intelligent person knows that Zorlu, like many others who do business in Israel, invests his money in Israel with the permission of the Turkish government. Zorlu Holding is the company that, along with Edeltech Group Ltd., has pushed for the pipeline exporting gas from Israel to Turkey. If and when it is established, the pipeline could carry gas worth $5 billion to $6 billion per year. Turkey would benefit from the ready availability of gas it lacks at present, as well as earn money from the transport of gas to Europe. Israel would benefit from an efficient, quick and cheap solution compared to the alternative, which involves liquefying gas for export.
The economic advantage is clear, as are the strategic and diplomatic advantages. We should remember that the East Mediterranean Gas Company’s agreement to sell gas by pipeline from Egypt to Israel is considered the anchor of our relations with that country. The weakness of the agreement from Israel’s point of view is that Egypt has control over the gas valve. The great thing about the Israeli-Turkish pipeline is that both countries have control. Israel has the right to open and close the valve while Turkey controls access to Europe. This is a win-win situation.
When President Barack Obama melted our hearts with his statement “you are not alone,” he repeated De Gaulle’s lesson to Ben-Gurion: Countries do not have friends or enemies, they have interests. Obama made the phone call, Netanyahu said what was required, and Erdo?an played hard to get. Thank God common interests prevailed, and the new pipeline will transport an abundance of positive energy.
Ted makes a good point at the very beginning.
It’s like America clearcutting its old growth forests to sell lumber dirt cheap to Japan and other countries which then convert them into far more expensive wood products which they sell back to us and others as well at a far greater profit
opensoc Said:
SURANUF!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bibi wouldn´t have apologized if there werent huge advantages behind the gesture.
@ Dr. Fay:
True that
All evidence points to the fact that Turkey had more to gain than Israel from the gas deal, and yet it is the slave mentality of the GOI that allowed itself to submit to Obamas “demand” to apologize.
Let’s just ask a simple question: Whose friend is Obama anyways?
A despicable humiliation, with or without the 5B$ gas deal.
Obama lies. He said what he thought the Israeli people wanted to hear, for his own political ends. Don’t be surprised if his actions belie his words, especially those behind the scenes where he is supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.
THE MORE THEY EXPLAIN IT, the worse it stinks. It’s heartbreaking how they sell the honor of Israel in dollars, or shekels, or for some temporary political expediency. ~~~ And if honor is not everyone’s concern, this apology and compensation have set a precedent that will cost dearly in terms of money and future defense.
There are signs of some very profound moral issues among your ruling elite. Their shameful acts, policies and statements are on the news almost every day. While terrorists injure and kill Jews on the roads, a military judge calls rock throwing “mischievous”.
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/military-judge-calls-stone-throwing-at-jews-mischievous/2013/03/25/ – The same act by Jews on Arabs would be called terror and the whole government would be offering loud and anguished apologies to the entire Arab world – while the Jewish culprits would rot in jail. ~~~ Police and IDF do absolutely nothing to prevent road terror and daily Arab violence against Jews because unofficial govt policy is that Jewish lives are not only expendable but quite worthless – just as Jewish heritage land has been freely given away to the enemy. ~~~ Muslim terrorists’ lives, however, are deemed to be worth serious money plus humiliating public apologies, when lost at the hand of Jews – even in lawful acts of self-defense.
Having control over the spigot can be very valuable leverage as Russia and Egypt know all too well. When it suits the interests of the Russians, they cut off gas supplies to Ukraine, Georgia and Europe. When it suits the Egyptians they conveniently overlook “terrorists” bombing lines of supply to Israel and Jordan. I am sure that (wink, wink) Israel would never cut off supplies to an energy-starved Turkey sponsoring/allowing another “flotilla” through Turkish ports and waters en route to give moral and material support to Hamas.