The Turks hate the Arabs and have had good relations with the Jewish people since long before there was an Israel. Turkey and Israel have a strong strategic alliance. Turkey is also a favorite vacation spot for Israelis and the Turkish people are genuinely warm.
Summary
Turkey has condemned Israel's assassination of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Rantisi as an act of "terrorism." This is the first time a Turkish government has criticized Israel for a position since the two states enhanced their military relationship in the mid-1990s. The mildly Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara could not afford to remain neutral on this issue, especially because many Turkish citizens have been arrested on suspicion of ties to al Qaeda. The development could signal an initial AKP bid to realign with the Arab and Muslim world; Turkey and Israel have had diplomatic relations since 1949.
Analysis
Turkey has condemned Israel's targeted assassination of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin as an act of terrorism along with Rantisi's death. In an interview with Turkish daily Hurriyet, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed that the international community must examine this kind of act, adding that there can be no peace in the Middle East unless Israel gives up its strong-arm tactics. Erdogan said Israel's actions have seriously derailed any role Turkey could have played in mediations between Israelis and Palestinians, and he hinted that he might cancel a visit to Israel in April if the current atmosphere does not change.
This is an unprecedented criticism of Israel from Ankara. The mildly Islamist Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi (Justice and Development Party), or AKP, is taking advantage of international outrage over the killing of Yassin to try to undo Turkey's image as a pro-Israeli state. Ankara hopes this will stave off criticism from certain parts of the populace and the Muslim world. We should note that Hamas and the AKP trace their roots back to the Muslim Brotherhood organization of Egypt.
The AKP is trying to strike a balance between Turkey's status as an Israeli ally and its affiliations with the Arab Middle East and Muslim world, and this is the first opportunity since the AKP swept into power in November 2002. The AKP has held off displaying its Islamic inclinations for fear of meeting the same fate as the Refah Party, which was ousted by the military in 1997.
Three main events spurred the AKP to take this stance:
1) Europe has condemned the killings of Yassin/Rantisi, and Turkey faces growing prospects for future membership in the European Union.
2) Arab states that have diplomatic relations with Israel, such as Egypt and Jordan, strongly and publicly opposed the assassination.
3) The AKP has gained an advantage against the secularist military establishment following its renewed push for EU membership. The praetorian military, which has opposed the civilian government and supported Israel, has backed away from its self-styled role as the guardian of secularism in Turkey -- a precondition for Turkish EU accession.
The condemnation likely marks the first stirrings of AKP efforts to change Turkey's Middle East foreign policy. The AKP does not want to drastically alter its relations with Israel, but Ankara appears to be facing a crisis of legitimacy. Despite its Islamic roots, radical and militant Islamist groups have derided the party as an ally of the West and Israel.
Ankara fears that Islamist extremist groups could influence its constituency if it does not fine-tune its rhetoric and possibly adjust its Israel policy. This would explain the ability of jihadist groups to stage attacks in Turkey against Western financial institutions and synagogues.