From Haifa to Istanbul

From my favorite pub in Haifa, the Kapiot Café, where I am writing, I am enjoying the beautiful view of the Namal or port. My coauthor Danit comes from a family whose roots are in Istanbul. They immigrated to Israel at the time of the rebirth of the Jewish state in 1948. She quips that our namal has certainly changed since her grandparents landed sixty five years ago. The port is laden with shipping both commercial and pleasure including passenger cruise ships bound for Turkey, commercial freighters, and yachts of various dimensions. Danit adds that her family and friends brought with them a social and cultural influence that is still seen in Haifa today, such as the Ladino language and music. 

Ladino is a Romance language derived from Old Spanish. It was originally spoken in the former territories of the Ottoman Empire (the Balkans, Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa) as well as in France, Italy, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Morocco and the UK. Today it is spoken mainly by Sephardic minorities in more than thirty countries, most of the speakers residing in Israel. Although it has no official status in any country, it has been acknowledged as a minority language in Israel and Turkey. Ladino music festivals are held each year in Haifa. Artists from all over the world come to sing and dance and celebrate this culture. In addition, Borekas pastries and Turkish coffee are mainstays of our local diet.


Turkey is an important tourism destination for Israelis. Istanbul is a 90-minute flight from Tel Aviv. No visas are required for Israelis to visit Turkey, while Turkish citizens with ordinary passports need a visa prior to travelling Israel. In 2008, before the 2008-09 Gaza war, 560,000 Israelis vacationed in Turkey, according to Israeli tourism officials. In October 2010 Israel's Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov encouraged Israelis to boycott Turkey as a vacation spot in response to Turkey's stance on Gaza. The number of Israeli tourists in Turkey dropped to 300,000 in 2009 and to 110,000 in 2010; it declined further to about 62,000 between January and August 2011. According to Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Israelis' share of Turkey's total tourism declined from 3% to 0.05%. However, the trending as during the recent Passover holiday more than twenty thousand Israelis have chosen Turkey as a holiday get-away. More than a quarter million people from Israel are expected to visit Turkey this summer as Israeli trade unions are ending a five-year boycott of the country. Among the top destinations in Turkey for Israeli tourists are Antalya, Bodrum and Marmaris. Haifa is a major hub for tourists choosing to enjoy the beautiful Mediterranean waters and short a cruise to visit our Turkish friends. 

Turkey is Israel's sixth-largest export destination. Chemicals and oil distillates are the primary exports. Natural gas is expected to greatly expand the trade between our two states including a possible energy pipeline. Israeli import of Turkish vegetable products has remained steady since 2007, and imports of prepared foodstuffs, beverages and tobacco doubled in the last ten years. 


Two potentially huge natural gas discoveries occurred in this region in 2009 and 2010. The Tamar gas field is located in Israel's exclusive economic zone, roughly 80 kilometers (50 mi) west of Haifa in waters 1,700 meters (5,600 ft) deep. While there have been small oil and gas discoveries in Israel over the decades, it was the first large one in the country. Tamar alone, it is estimated, could provide 50% to 80% of Israel’s natural-gas needs for a decade. 


The Leviathan gas field is a second large natural gas field located in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Israel, 47 kilometers (29 mi) south-west of the Tamar gas field. The gas field is located roughly 130 kilometers (81 mi) west of Haifa in waters 1,500 meters (4,900 ft) deep in the Levantine basin, a rich hydrocarbon area in one of the world's largest offshore gas finds of the past decade. These two discoveries alone offer Israel the potential to serve its own energy needs and be an energy exporter within the next several years producing substantial economic benefits. Our primary partners in these endeavors are expected to be our friends in Istanbul.