editorials
T urkey has long been a prickly ally. At the crossroads
of Europe and Asia, it joined NATO, the West’s
Cold War umbrella, in 1952 and served as a bulwark
against the USSR in the Mediterranean. Today, Turkey
has NATO’s second-largest army and hosts two of the
alliance’s airbases. Turkey’s contribution to NATO is not
small. Turkey has never been a Western-style democracy.

And under authoritarian President Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan, Turkey has exasperated the West with its
dismal human-rights record and the stands it has taken
in opposition to its NATO allies. So it is not surprising
that when the Biden administration announced a plan
for major arms sales to Turkey and Greece, a bipartisan
opposition quickly formed to the Turkey side of the deal
— a $20 billion arms package, including 40 new F-16
fi ghter jets.

With all of its warts, Ankara is an ally and should
be treated like one. That includes receiving serious
consideration for its arms requests and to be regarded
like every other U.S. ally to whom we sell arms, including
those that have equally disconcerting human-rights
records. There are multiple arguments in favor of such a move.

First, the arms deal will strengthen Turkey’s ties to the
West — militarily, diplomatically and even for repairs
and spare parts. Second, the administration wants to
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 2021
condition the sale on Turkey agreeing to allow Sweden
and Finland to join NATO, a major strategic gain for
the alliance at a time when Russia is attempting to
destroy Ukraine and threatens its NATO neighbors.

Any NATO member can block expansion, and Turkey
is opposing the expansion because Sweden harbors
Kurdish separatists it considers terrorists. An end to that
standoff is in everyone’s best interests.

Third, at a time when Erdoğan has moved closer to
Russian President Vladimir Putin and even signed an
arms deal with the Russians to buy S-400 surface-to-
air missile systems, American support for the F-16 sale
sends a message that Turkey is taken seriously by the
Western camp. And fourth, Erdoğan is repairing his
break with Israel, a plus for the Jewish state and the
United States.

Opponents are unquestionably correct about the
Turkish president’s stifl ing of human rights — the
suppression and arrest of journalists, the rollbacks on
women’s and LGBTQ rights, and repression of political
opposition. Erdoğan has also fought America’s Kurdish
allies in northern Syria, helping to strengthen Syrian
dictator Bashar Assad, Iran and Russia. As recently
observed by former Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman,
if Turkey were a candidate for NATO membership today,
it would not likely be admitted.

We don’t live in a perfect world. But even in an
imperfect world, consistency is important. Many U.S.

allies are not squeaky clean. Yet we regularly sell arms to
allies with contemptible human-rights records, including
to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Middle East regimes.

That doesn’t excuse their human-rights abuses. Instead,
we try to use the leverage of increased interdependence
and support to spur discussion and address human-
rights concerns.

The same approach should apply to Turkey. 1
Progress at the Jordanian Border
T here is a lot going on in Israel. And much of it
complicates the job of diplomats posted there.

The job of U.S. Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides
is no exception.

Indeed, because of the unique, historic
relationship between the United States and Israel,
Nides’ job is particularly challenging. And to
his credit — and to the credit of the Biden
administration he serves — Nides has been very
careful to modulate his public pronouncements
and activities in a manner that is respectful of
Israel’s independence and seeks to maintain the
rock-solid bonds between Washington and the
Jewish state, while providing input and taking
advantage of more private avenues for the sharing
of suggestions and concerns.

But there are some areas where Nides has used
his platform and his public voice to encourage
Israeli government action. One such area relates
to the Allenby Bridge Border Terminal, which is the
only exit for Palestinians living in the West Bank to
reach Jordan and the world beyond. That border
crossing area, which is controlled and administered
12 JANUARY 26, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
by Israel under agreements between Israel and
Jordan, and Israel and the Palestinian Authority,
has been in operation since the 1994 signing of
the Israel-Jordan peace agreement. But in its near
three decades of operation, very little about how
the border crossing facility operates has changed.

Long waits are common as heavily laden trucks,
busloads of people and a variety of individual and
group travelers need to go through comprehensive
screening processes in a cramped facility under the
stifl ing heat of the Jordan Valley.

Nides wants to help modernize the Allenby
operation to make it more user-friendly and
accessible. He wants to see the border-crossing
structure upgraded and its hours of operation
expanded, all with the goal of “making people’s
lives marginally a little better” without compromising
security or other governmental concerns.

His efforts, which have reportedly been
supplemented by encouragement from U.S. Special
Envoy to the Palestinian Authority Hady Amr, have
begun to bear fruit. Late last year, Israel ran a pilot
program at the Allenby facility that expanded both
the number of personnel assigned to the crossing
and its hours of operation. And now, Israel has
announced a signifi cant expansion of hours of the
Allenby operation beginning on April 2, which should
help relieve the overcrowding and long waits that
have plagued those trying to cross the border.

Beyond that, Israel has plans for a new Allenby
terminal building — a modernized facility, complete
with fast-moving biometric passport checks and
other passenger accommodations — to signifi cantly
ease the pressure and tension of the border-
crossing experience. Nides has also pledged to
work with several Israeli government departments
and authorities to assure proper funding for the new
facility. We applaud Ambassador Nides. His behind-the-
scenes encouragement helped move the Allenby
process along, similar to his successful involvement
in last year’s announcement of U.S. funding for East
Jerusalem hospitals during President Joe Biden’s
summer visit to Israel.

Through his work, Nides reminds us of the enduring
value of quiet, mission-driven diplomacy. 1
Photo by Presidency of Republic of Ukraine
In Support of a Consistent Arms-Sale Policy