Quick takesIsrael-Turkey rapprochement; refugees’ jewelry in Denmark; mysterious death in Argentina
Israel and Turkey were once close allies, but the relationship between the two countries has cooled after the Islamist party of President Recep Tayeep Erdogan came to power in 2002, and he was elected president in 2003. The two countries have decided that the many challenges they face in common now justify the resumption of normal relationship, even if the two countries are deeply divided over the treatment of the Palestinians by Israel; Denmark is set to pass a law which would allow authorities to confiscate jewelry from refugees entering Denmark in order to pay for some of the refugee-related expenditures by the government; the new government in Argentina will reopen the investigation in to the mysterious death in January of a prosecutor who was about to charge former president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner with covering up Iran’s involvement in the killing of eighty-five Argentinian Jews in 1994.
Israel: Turkey to normalize relations with Israel
Israel and Turkey were once close allies, but the relationship between the two countries has cooled after the Islamist party of President Recep Tayeep Erdogan came to power in 2002, and he was elected president in 2003. Turkey cut off its relationship with Israel altogether in 2010, after nine Turkish citizens were killed when the Israeli Navy took control of a ship which was trying to breach the Israeli maritime blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The two countries have decided that the many challenges they face in common now justify the resumption of normal relationship, even if the two countries are deeply divided over the treatment of the Palestinians by Israel. Both Turkey and Israel see Iran as a major threat to their national security, and view Iran’s regional agents – President Bashar al-Assad in Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon – as problems that should be dealt with. The deterioration of relations between Turkey and Russia also made Turkey more aware of the need to find regional allies. Also important: Israel has discovered, and is about to begin exploiting, large natural gas fields under the water of the Mediterranean. The proximity of the gas fields to both Turkey and the Turkish-controlled North Cyprus led Israel to open negotiations with Turkey over a revenue-sharing plan, and progress in the gas-related talks appears to have facilitated progress on diplomatic reconciliation between the two countries.
Denmark: Refugee jewelry
Denmark has not been the most welcoming country in Europe for Syrian refugees. In September, the Danish government took full-page ads in Lebanese newspapers telling would-be asylum seekers not to come to Denmark. The Danish government is now considering asking Parliament to pass a law which would allow authorities to confiscate jewelry from refugees entering Denmark. The law would also apply to refugees already in the country, allowed the authorities to seize valuables and cash from refugees.
Argentina: Investigation into prosecutor’s death to be repopene
The investigation into Iran’s involvement in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, and into bribes and lucrative contracts Iran gave former presdients Carlos Menem and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and the governments they led, was conducted by Alberto Nisman, a state prosecutor whose mysterious death almost a year ago has yet to be explained,. The investigation into his death will shortly be reopened following the withdrawal of key appeals in the case by the new government of President Mauricio Macri. Nisman was found dead in his apartment, a day before he was to present his case to Congress. He was planning to reveal that Fernandez de Kirchner had covered up evidence linking Iran to the bombing, which left eighty-five people dead in exchange for commercial deals with Tehran.
