Hamas changes their demands constantly, thinking (or hoping) that they caught Israel on the hip. Both sides look firm, though both of them calculate what they can compromise.

The meeting of President Gül and Prime Minister Erdoğan with EJC (European Jewish Congress) delegation took place, though a little late than normal, in the Israeli press. We’ve heard that Iran and Syria were talked about most in this meeting between the European Jewish Committee and the Turkish governmental dignitaries. EJC asked Turkey on her new role in the UN Security Council to take action to be more active on nuclear activities of Iran and thanked Gül and Erdoğan for their efforts to bring peace in to the Middle East. They highlighted on the irreplaceable role of Turkey on peace over Middle East and the dialogue between the different faiths. There are two more issues in addition to these issues stated above, one uttered by the Turkish side, the other by EJC.

Most probably the name Gilad Shalit doesn’t mean anything at all, to most of us. But it means a great deal to the majority of the Israeli people since 2006. But he has such an importance for Israeli governmental authorities who threatened that the “sky will fall” if Shalit is harmed. Shalit is an Israeli soldier who was captured in a cross border raid on the crossing Kerem Shalom from the Gaza Strip by Palestinian militants on 25 June 2006. Diplomatic efforts are being held not only in Israel but all over the world to free Shalit who is being kept as a “prisoner-of-war” by Hamas. Different speculations are set forth about his health bur every other time contrary evidence was presented by Hamas who states that he is being kept according to Islamic Law. Hamas demanded a list of Palestinian prisoners being released including women and children younger than 18, as well as people from the administrative levels of the organization. Although Israel stated that they won’t be negotiating at all, at the beginning, they yielded from their solid course of conduct recently. It’s reflected in the world media that the negotiations are still going on with Hamas about the list of prisoners to be released. Hamas changes their demands constantly, thinking (or hoping) that they caught Israel on the hip. Both sides look firm, though both of them calculate what they can compromise.

Although a number of countries wanted to act as intermediaries to free Gilad, it is obvious that none of those efforts were successful so far as the captivity has been going on for 858 days straight. Negotiations are generally being carried out by the help of Egypt, but occasional high tension between Egypt and Hamas results in delays on the negotiations. Gilad, at the same time, holds a French citizenship, a fact that encouraged France and the European Union to be involved to some extent in the efforts, to release him, no need to say, fruitless.

One of the biggest strategic mistakes Israel did, is not getting Turkey involved in the matter yet. A “really ambitious to free Gilad” Israel would sought help from Turkey, without the Prime Minister offering help.

This issue came up in the meeting between Erdoğan and EJC, and the Prime Minister stated that Turkey may help (if asked) on the issue of captive soldier Gilad. In fact, one of the biggest strategic mistakes Israel did is not getting Turkey involved in the matter yet. A “really ambitious to free Gilad” Israel would sought help from Turkey, without the Prime Minister offering help. But as I mentioned in my essay named “Arabuluculuk:Cezayir ve Turkiye”, Israel insists on not to implicate Turkey in to Palestinian-Israel issues. They found Turkey closer to the Palestinian arguments and can not stay neutral to the facts. All right, is Egypt, whom for various reasons has been asked for help by Israel, neutral? A country, though not neutral but weighs less than Turkey in the diplomatic scale, had lost several wars against Israel, easier to manipulate and most important of all has on-and-off relations with Hamas.

Israel is so much dedicated to keep Turkey out of Palestinian – Israel relations, that they still haven’t got involved Turkey in this captivity issue which is after all an international human rights violation. It is not a nationalist debate to tell that, not “one of the best”, but probably “the best” country as a negotiator to free Gilad, is Turkey. How many countries are there on earth who has close diplomatic relations with Israel, who has an adviser who is greatly respected in the Middle East as Ahmet Davutoglu (remember his meeting with Meshal), and who would approach the problem on a basis of human rights and international law, and would keep equal diplomatic distance to both sides? I know only one country and it’s obvious that Israel ruled out that one, that’s why Gilad Shalit is still captive for 858 days.

PS : I’ll touch base on the second subject that came up in the meeting with EJC in my upcoming essay.

A novel wave of suicide attacks with a fundamentally different method and roots has recently started in Israel. In the latest incident, an Arab of East Jerusalem driving a black BMW, plowed into a group of Israeli soldiers and civilians near the Jaffa gate of the Old City. Before being shot by an Israeli soldier, the attacker wounded more than 20 soldiers. Although the driver’s family claimed this incident to be a traffic accident, not a terrorist attack, Israelis regarded it as a terror attack and responded accordingly. This attack has been the third of the same kind carried out this year; the only difference being that the vehicles used for the previous similar attacks were a bulldozer and tractor, not an “ultimate driving machine.” All of the perpetrators were residents of East Jerusalem, and based on what the Israeli internal security service had to say, none of them were affiliated with any known terrorist cell. In other words, while Israel diverts her attention and energy toward the cells in the occupied West Bank and withdrawn Gaza, unanticipated attacks have been coming from the annexed territories of East Jerusalem. Considering the demography and security vulnerabilities of Jerusalem, it is highly probable that such attacks seem to continue in the days to come.

What makes the new wave of attacks quite unmanageable for the Israeli security services is the fact that the perpetrators are either Israeli citizens or carry working permits in Israel. As the Shin Bet puts it “when terrorists are Israeli, our hands are tied.” The suspected terrorists have blue Israeli identity cards, which provide them full access to Jerusalem. Actually, the Shin Bet makes another important, rather unusual, statement after the latest attack. The Shin Bet said there are no ties between the drivers in the latest incidents and Palestinian militant factors and added “In the past, terrorists from East Jerusalem acted mainly as support units for attacks, usually under instruction by outside networks in Gaza Strip and West Bank. In recent months we discern a change in that the terrorists from Jerusalem have been initiating terrorism without outside guidance.” Due to the “awareness of the fence is creating a long-term estrangement between Jerusalem and the West Bank” and motivated by a grassroots desire “to ensure Jerusalem does not disappear from the political agenda,” East Jerusalem Arabs have started to act on their own recently. The Shin Bet stated, most importantly, that it is the West Bank separation wall that is fuelling attacks by the Arabs of East Jerusalem, who feel isolated from fellow Palestinians and increasingly likely to lash out independently.

Israel commenced her one of the most controversial projects, the extensive fence and wall complex in the West Bank, in 2002. Since then the project has been harshly criticized by the international community, including even the United States. Officially, Israel argues that the wall’s purpose is to provide security for Israelis; however, there are two sides facing the wall. Each side regards the wall in a different manner. For the Israelis, it is a fly screen hindering terrorist penetration; for the Palestinians, it is an iron bar caging their freedom. Research indicates that the wall works efficiently as a fly screen; however, same research also stresses that it actually works as iron bars for Palestinians. There has been a drastic reduction in the number of Palestinian infiltration and suicide bombings since the beginning of the construction; however, it is also known by the authorities that the wall incarcerated the Palestinians living around its route, placed high restrictions on transportation, trade and education, last but not least, confiscated Palestinian land, including cultivated areas. %6.1 of the Palestinian population of the West Bank was separated from cultivated land by the currently constructed wall. This number will rise to %22.6 with the addition of approved wall trajectory.

There are two sides facing the wall. For the Israelis, it draws the desired boundaries of the state. (As Olmert says, Israel's permanent borders would run along or close to the barrier) For the Palestinians, it progressively makes the borders of the long-awaited Palestinian state smaller. There are two sides facing the wall. The wall gives a sense of security to the Israeli side, while it gives a sense of estrangement to the Palestinian side. There are two sides facing the wall. Each side regards the wall in a different manner; what is common for both sides is the violence the wall escalates.