Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan landed in Cairo last week and thought that his hosts were waiting impatiently to hear slurs against Israel. He couldn't believe how much they preferred that he sign a commercial cooperation agreement, which would ease their shaky economy, pick up his 280 person entourage and continue on his way to Tunis and Tripoli.
Three days after six Israelis were driven out disgracefully by a wild Egyptian crowd, Erdoğan landed in Cairo and tried to steal headlines at the expense of Israel's trampled honor. And indeed, in both of his speeches, Erdoğan did not stop threatening Israel and demanding an apology and compensation. That was the extent of his public success.
But the Egyptians ruined Erdoğan's visit. There is no nicer way to say it. In order to understand how true this is, one just has to hear what he was promised to meet his goals: to be hosted in Gaza, to visit Tahrir Square, and to give an historic speech to the Arab world from the Cairo Opera House. This was a perfect plan for a rising leader who has aspirations to unite the Arab world under Turkey's flag.
Erdoğan did indeed give the speech, but the Egyptians made sure that none of it was broadcasted on TV. They convinced him to cancel the visit to Gaza, for how dare he suddenly invade their own sphere of influence? The visit to Tahrir Square was meant to be the climax of Erdoğan's visit to Egypt. Erdoğan's sharp senses told him that he should speak to the people in the street, but his hosts politely explained to him that he should forego this too. Erdoğan capitulated once again.
The writer is the Arab Affairs commentator for “IDF Radio" (Galei Zahal).
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on September 18, 2011
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