The Anti-Defamation League's Task Force on Middle East Minorities and The Foundation for Defense of Democracies held a joint conference Thursday to discuss anti-persecution policy recommendations. The event, titled "From Pastor Andrew Brunson to Osman Kavala: Rethinking Prisoners of Conscience in Turkey and Beyond," discussed the particulars on how to ensure that prisoners of conscience – specifically those persecuted for their support of religious minorities – in Turkey and elsewhere receive the international attention and assistance they deserve.
Evangelist pastor Andrew Brunson lived in Turkey for 23 years until he was arrested in 2016 for allegedly participating in terrorist activities against the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's regime, including allegations that he belonged to the Gulen movement, an opposition movement, and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Brunson was released to the US after a long diplomatic process led by the Trump administration in return for Washington easing its sanctions on Ankara.
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The conference was attended by Senior Vice President of International Affairs for the Anti-Defamation League Sharon Nazarian and former member of the Turkish Parliament Dr. Aykan Erdemir, among others, who spoke about the mass emigration of young Jews from the country.
Israel's relationship with Turkey has been through its fair share of ups and downs. Even though Turkey voted against the 1947 UN Partition Plan, three years later it became the first Muslim country to recognize the independent Jewish state.
The relationship between Israel and Turkey has been more strained in the last decade as a result of policy shifts by Erdogan's regime. Regardless, business ties between the two countries continue to flourish, with Israelis traveling freely to Istanbul and the rest of the country, even during coronavirus.
"I think Turkish-Israeli relations remain one of the most interesting in the Middle East, because despite political tensions, the lack of ambassadors at this point, we continue to see extremely strong people people-to-people and business-to-business ties because there is a history that the Erdogan government cannot erase.
"Turkey was the first majority Muslim country to recognize Israel. Turkey until recently has had extremely close security, Intel, and diplomatic ties with Israel. Until the pandemic, Turkish Airlines was the second most popular airline flying out of Tel Aviv.
"There have been numerous Israeli tourists in Turkey and I think there will continue to be Israeli tourists in Turkey. There is a history that the Erdogan government will not erase," he continued. "The greater risk happens to Turkey's indigenous Jewish community. We see an alarming exodus especially of Turkey's younger Jewish individuals as they seek better opportunities for education and their career abroad."
Erdemir explained that the situation "is having a decimating effect on this long-term community because we are not just talking about the Sephardic community that settled in 1492. Turkey has had a Jewish presence and heritage for over 2,000 years.
"It is really sad today to see that security concerns, systematic discrimination and prejudice are forcing Turkey's very own Jewish citizens out of the country.
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