Ish-Bel Tur was a Jedi Knight that served the Almas Academy in the Cularin System during the time of the Clone Wars. In a recessed part of the galaxy, the Cularin System managed to avoid much of the fighting the Clone Wars brought to other planets and systems. However, the reach of the conflict was long indeed and the unique history of the Cularin System did not allow it to go completely untouched.

The Cularin system possessed an asteroid belt that made it an attractive hideout for smugglers and criminals. As such, over the centuries the area became increasingly lawless. In response to this, the Thaereian military, from the neighboring Thaere System, took it upon themselves to expand their sphere of influence and move into protecting and defending the Cularin System. The citizens of the Cularin System spurned the Thaeren military's presence which was a source of contention between the Cularins and the Thaereians for years. Much to the dismay of the Cularins, the Thaereian military's jurisdiction in Cularin was legitimized by the Galactic Senate who then proceeded to increase the military buildup there.

With the rise of the Confederacy and the Separatist crisis, the resistance against the the Thaereian military came to a head. An underground resistance movement formed and rumors began to spread of the military's connection to the Separatists through the InterGalactic Banking Clan. When one of the leaders of the resistance movement, Gerta Haman, was captured by the Thaereian military, Lavina Wren, senator of the Cularin System, invited Haman to Coruscant to discuss her allegations. Jedi Knight Ish-Bel Tur served as the liaison between the Jedi and the Thaereian military and accompanied them as they transported Gerta Haman to Coruscant.