Hurriyet
By: Mohammed Kafadar
March 09, 2022
Rabbi Schneier, who came to Ankara within the scope of Israeli President Herzog’s visit to Turkey, said that the development of relations with Israel would make a positive contribution to Turkey-US relations.
President of the USA-based Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, Rabbi Marc Schneier, answered the questions of the newspaper Hürriyet before the two-day visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Turkey, Which Will Begin Today. Schneier, who personally took part in the organization of the Herzog visit, said that normalization with Israel would directly reflect on Ankara-Washington relations.
‘THE EXCITEMENT AND HOPE’
Drawing attention to the effectiveness of the American Jewish community, Schneier said, “If Turkey improves its relations with Israel, it will have a great impact on Congress.” This first meeting between Herzog and President Tayyip Erdogan “must be the beginning of a sustainable process,” said Rabbi Schneier, adding, “There is already a partnership between the two countries at the economic level. Now there is excitement and hope to carry this into the political arena. There is an important movement in establishing new partnerships with Israel in the Gulf, and Turkey can play an important role in this regard.
‘CAN CONTRIBUTE TO PALESTINE’
Stating that the dialogue that existed in the past between the Turkish American community and the Jews in the USA has been broken, Schneier said, “Now this can be restored. As American Jews, we have broad ties and deep relationships from Muslim communities to blacks. We can help Turkey in many areas,” he said. On the other hand, pointing to Turkey’s influence on Palestine, Schneier noted that Ankara “can contribute to overcoming the Israel-Palestine problem”.
ZELENSKI’S CALL FOR ERDOĞAN
Pointing out that the two countries that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski wants to mediate are Turkey and Israel, Schneier spoke about the impact of the war on Ankara-Washington relations: “Turkey and Israel can play important roles for a solution. Even Zelenski’s reaching out to Erdogan for mediation means a lot about how the US and the world view Turkey. The (Ukrainian war) will strengthen Turkey-US relations.”
WHO IS MARC SCHNEIER
Rabbi Schneier, founder of Hampton Synagogue in New York and the US-based Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, focuses on improving the Jewish community’s relations with Muslim communities and American blacks. Aiming to normalize the Gulf-Israel relations in particular, Schneier also worked for President Herzog’s visit to Turkey.
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