by Keren Setton
JERUSALEM, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- The arrest of an Israeli couple in Turkey for espionage charges should be avoided escalating into a diplomatic crisis given the already prickly bilateral ties in recent years.
Last week, the couple was detained for taking photos of the Ottoman-era Dolmabahce Palace during a ferry tour, and parts of the building are used as the Istanbul office of Erdogan. A court remanded them for 20 days pending a trial for "political and military espionage."
The allegations were denied by their relatives in Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid made a clarification, saying the couple was not employed by any agency in the country. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also started the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday with remarks on the incident.
"They are two innocent citizens who have been mistakenly caught up in a complex situation," he said. "We are doing everything to resolve the issue."
The couple work as bus drivers in central Israel and were vacationing in Turkey, slated to return on the day they were arrested.
Turkey's relations with Israel have soured under the rule of Erdogan. The deterioration began in 2009 when Erdogan as prime minister took a hard line against Israeli policies towards the Palestinians. In 2010, a Turkish-led flotilla aimed at breaking Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip ended in a clash with Israeli forces and the death of 10 Turks onboard one of the ships.
In an attempt to heal the rift, a reconciliation agreement was signed between Israel and Turkey in 2016. Ambassadors were reinstated and there was a brief moment of hope that the bilateral relations were back on track.
In 2018, when the United States announced its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and deadly clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces on the Gaza border erupted, Turkey-Israel relations took another down turn. Ambassadors were recalled again and have not been reinstated ever since. Throughout the years, trade exchanges have continued, weathering the different crises.
"The relations between the two countries are at a modus vivendi," said Nimrod Goren, head of Mitvim, the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies. "There is no enthusiasm, and no crisis, either."
In a rare high-level exchange, earlier this year Erdogan made a phone call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog to congratulate him on his new position. Some saw this as a signal of thawing of relations, while no real progress has been made afterward.
"Israel has been rather indifferent," added Goren.
Israeli media quoted unnamed senior officials as saying that Erdogan would use this incident to extract concessions from Israel. Struggling internally on various fronts, the Turkish leader might be looking for a distraction, though he has yet to make any public comments on the matter.
"The Turkish economy is not doing well and tourism is very important," said Goren, adding that Israel and Turkey, with over 70 years' diplomatic relations, are not warring countries.
"Israel also needs Turkey and has no interest in endangering the relations, although it has several points of leverage," said Efraim Inbar, president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies.
Turkey, constantly striving for a greater role in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, cannot afford to completely disconnect itself from one side. Throughout his tenure, Erdogan has made himself a champion of the Palestinian cause, and he needs cooperation with Israel to maintain his position. Israel's recent rapport with Egypt and the establishment of diplomatic ties with several Arab countries may also pose threats to Erdogan.
The next few days will be not only critical for the two incarcerated Israelis, but also for the relations between the two countries.
"If they are not released quickly, this will be a serious matter," Inbar said, noting that the goal of Israel is to "end the incident before it becomes a political and diplomatic crisis." Enditem
