Israel Resumes Diplomatic Relations With Turkey, But at a Cost

Turkey and Israel have announced that they plan to re-instate diplomatic ties, ending a six-year hiatus. The break occurred following the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla incident, in which Israeli naval commandos killed 10 pro-Palestinian activists after being attacked while attempting to board the ship; the Mavi Marmara is known to have been funded by IHH, a Turkish NGO with known ties to Hamas and Al-Qaeda. Video footage shows Israeli soldiers boarding the boat, which was in violation of Israel’s embargo on Gaza, and immediately being swarmed by attackers with metal rods and chairs; weapons were later found on board. The incident gained international media attention and soured diplomatic ties between the two countries, with both of them cancelling diplomatic ties with each other soon after. In 2013, Israel apologized for the incident.

The resurgence in diplomatic ties was not free for Israel. According to BBC, Israel agreed to pay 20 million dollars in compensation to the families of the victims, which included an American national of Turkish descent. Additionally, Israel agreed to allow Turkey to carry out infrastructure projects and send aid to Gaza through the Israeli port of Ashdod. In a separate but likely related promise, Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan promised to “instruct relevant Turkish agencies” to resolve the issue of missing Israelis in the Gaza Strip, the bodies of whom Israel claims Hamas is holding. Moreover, given that Israel and Turkey now have diplomatic relations, Israel hopes that Turkey will actively prevent Hamas from carrying out operations from Turkey. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the deal, claiming that it will help bring “stability to the region”.

In addition to the immediate terms of the deal, Netanyahu claimed that it “has also immense implications for the Israeli economy, and I use that word advisedly”. The leaders of the two countries are likely seeking to build a Natural Gas pipeline from Israel to Turkey. Israel has been searching for someone to buy its offshore natural gas, which it has recently began exploiting. This relationship is convenient for Turkey as well, seeing as it has been seeking a new Natural Gas supplier in light of its souring relations with Russia, its previous main supplier.

Turkey and Russia have been on relatively unfriendly terms since Turkey shot down a Russian warplane flying over Turkish airspace in November; Turkey has since apologized for the incident but relations between the two countries have yet to normalize. It thus makes sense that Turkey is seeking to normalize ties with Israel in order to secure a steady alternative supply of gas.

Israel likely hopes that new relations will force Turkey to crack down on Hamas operatives within the country, but even that may be overly optimistic. Given Erdogan’s attempts to assert himself as a major player in the Muslim world, it is in his best interest to appear hostile to Israel, or at least to not actively prevent organizations from harming the Jewish State. Despite this, the new relations between the two countries might prevent Erdogan from allowing Hamas to openly operate, making them go underground if they wish to continue to act.