JERUSALEM—Five years after ties between Israel and Turkey were half-severed because of a fatal clash at sea, the rapidly shifting web of alliances in the Middle East are bringing the two countries, once strong allies, into alignment again.
According to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office over the weekend, understandings have been reached in secret talks between the two countries in Switzerland that will allow for reconciliation.
A senior official of Turkey’s ruling AKP Party, Omer Celik, cautioned that a definitive deal has not yet been signed "but a draft is being worked on." Celik added that "beyond all question, the state of Israel and its people are friends of Turkey."
The marked change in rhetoric is in large part a reflection of Turkey’s growing international difficulties, particularly Russian hostility following the downing of a Russian warplane by Turkish fighters last month, as well as economic interests. Energy-hungry Turkey has long eyed the large fields of natural gas discovered off Israel’s shore, a potential source which has become even more appealing in the wake of Russian threats to cut back on its own critical gas supplies to Turkey.
Ties between Jerusalem and Ankara were virtually severed in 2010 when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave his backing to a flotilla of civilian boats, which set sail from Turkey with the intention of breaking Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Israel had imposed the blockade to prevent the shipment of rockets and other armaments to Hamas but permitted civilian goods to be shipped from its territory into Gaza. Israeli officials warned that the flotilla of six ships would not be permitted to approach. The vessels were duly intercepted by Israeli naval vessels at sea. When naval commandos attempted to take over the flagship, the Mavi Marmara, by rappelling down a rope from a helicopter, they found militants waiting for them on deck, armed with metal bars, knives, and other weapons. The first commandos to touch down, who were barehanded, were stabbed and beaten. Those who followed drew their weapons. Nine militants were killed and one mortally wounded in the subsequent shootout and several dozen were wounded.
The boats were taken into an Israeli port and all aboard released.
A furious Erdogan threatened to send Turkish naval vessels to escort future flotillas but attempts to break the blockade petered out without such confrontation. Both countries summoned home their ambassadors, although lower ranking diplomats remained, and the Turkish armed forces were obliged to cut their once extensive ties with Israeli arms manufacturers and military peers. At the time of the Mavi Marmara incident, Erdogan was attempting to promote himself as leader of the Muslim world, at least within the bounds of the former Ottoman Empire. But in the years since the so-called Arab Spring, the disintegration of several Arab countries and the rise of the Islamic State have obliged a rethink.
Erdogan’s anti-Israel rhetoric had not changed until last month. When an Israeli reporter identified himself at a press conference during the climate conference in Paris, Erdogan volunteered that he thinks he would be able to "fix ties" with the Jewish state. This was shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin had begun to make angry statements about the downing of the Russian warplane. A few days later, Erdogan said normalization of relations with Israel would be good for Turkey, Israel, and the Palestinians.
Israel is willing to meet Turkey’s demand that it compensate the families of those killed on the Mavi Marmara. One other demand is still outstanding, however—that Israel ease the Gaza blockade. Israeli analysts say Jerusalem is likely to permit more goods to enter Gaza by land as a gesture to Erdogan but will not lift its maritime blockade.