Normalising diplomatic relations with Israel is Turkey’s latest move for regional rapprochement aiming to bolster national security and the country’s wavering economy, Middle East expert Steven A. Cook wrote this week.
Ankara’s steps to improve its ties with United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia continues with the latest de-escalation in relations with Israel, said Cook, a senior fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), a US-based think tank.
Israel’s approach towards Palestinian territories has been the main reason for tensions between the two countries for the last decade. In 2018, Turkey downgraded relations with Israel and Israel banished the Turkish ambassador after 60 people were killed by Israeli forces on the Gaza border during mass protests against Washington’s decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
However, each country can gain from restoring ties, said Cook. Establishing relations with non-Arab countries is important for Israel, while restoring ties with Ankara can bolster Israel’s national security by allowing closer intelligence monitoring of Iran and putting more pressure on Hamas, which runs operations from Turkey, according to the expert.
Meanwhile, for Ankara, restored ties with Tel Aviv might be a way to improve its position in Washington by ensuring the support of pro-Israeli groups and the leaders of the American-Jewish community, said Cook.
Another driving force for rapprochement is natural gas, the expert said. For Israel, Turkey is the most viable option to sell Europe its natural gas which it discovered off its coast in 2010.
The move will also force Israel to seek a new geostrategic balance in the Eastern Mediterranean, as sour relations with Turkey led to a dramatic improvement of Israel’s ties with Greece and Cyprus.
As Turkish elections currently scheduled for the second half of 2023 approach, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “is seeking better ties with his former foes in hopes that doing so will help improve the ailing Turkish economy through investment and currency swaps; generate goodwill for Ankara in Washington; and improve Turkey’s position in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Cook said.
