As US President Barack Obama arrived in Israel on March 20, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan began an official visit to Denmark with an effort to clarify the controversial remarks he made on Feb. 27 at a UN conference in Vienna referring to Zionism as a crime against humanity. “Let no one misunderstand what I said. Everyone knows that my criticism [of Israel] focuses on some critical issues. It’s directed especially toward Israeli policies on Gaza,” Erdogan said in an interview with Politiken, a Danish newspaper. “As long as Israel denies Palestinians the right to statehood, our criticisms will continue. On the other hand, we have recognized Israel’s existence within 1967 borders based on a two-state solution.”

When US Secretary of State John Kerry visited Turkey on March 1, Erdogan had expected him to extend an invitation to meet with Obama at the White House, an appointment the Turkish prime minister had been requesting for some time. He did not receive one. A US official who spoke with Al-Monitor said, “His remarks on Zionism hurt the bilateral relationship.” It is thus worth noting that Erdogan offered his first public explanation of his remarks as Obama began his first official visit to Israel. Whether his comments will satisfy the White House and Congress is yet to be seen.  

Erdogan's statement on Zionism is not the only issue that has put distance between the Obama administration and the government in Ankara. One other incident in particular stands out. Turkey has often criticized the United States for failing to fully cooperate in its fight against the terrorism of the Kurdistan Workers Party. On Feb. 1, when a suicide bomber struck at the US Embassy in Ankara, news broke that with the cooperation of the Central Intelligence Agency, Suleiman Abu Ghaith, former al-Qaeda spokesperson and son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, had been arrested at a hotel in Cankaya not so far from the residences of the US ambassador and Turkish president.

When Abu Ghaith appeared before a Turkish judge, the only charge against him was that he had crossed illegally into Turkey from Iran. No terrorism charges were considered. This is ironic, and tragic, for a number of reasons. The one that stands out for Turks is that more than 400 Turkish military personnel, including a former chief of the General Staff, currently find themselves behind bars, accused of being terrorists and engaging in conspiratorial activities to overthrow the Erdogan government.