Notes from Herzliya and Jerusalem

The sixth annual conference for diplomatic dialogue between Israel and Turkey, held by the Global Political Trends Center (GPoT Center) and the Israeli Institute for Regional Policies (MITVIM), took place last week in Israel. As part of conference schedule, we conducted meetings with representatives from the Foreign Ministry and Knesset while discussing current issues with both Israeli and Palestinian opinion leaders.

Our first stop was Herzliya. The audience was greatly interested in what was occurring inside Turkey, especially wondering whether Turkey would go to another election after Nov. 1 if no majority government emerges.

Another hot topic was the military presence of Russia in Syria. The fact that Russia acts as an airshield along the Syrian border has caused resentment among Israelis - as it does for Turkish authorities - in terms of preserving the security of the Golan Heights and preventing the transfer of arms to Hezbollah. However, for the time being, Israeli analysts seem to favor a Syria under Russian influence over a Syria under Iranian hegemony.

Considering the political and military alliance between Russia and Iran, the situation on the ground, so far, flies in the face of Israel's projections. However, it is too early to predict how this cooperation may turn in the future and perhaps even lead to a divergence between Iran and Russia over keeping President Bashar al-Assad.

Everyone agreed that Russia was there to stay and that the sooner the countries in the region adjust their policies to this new reality, the better.

The next day, in Jerusalem, we met Walid Salim, the director of the Palestinian Democracy and Community Development, and discussed recent terror attacks. 

Our questions were simple...