Israel and Turkey against Iran?

• 08.31.2015, 17:50
•  Near East,  World

For the first time since the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident Turkish official delegation arrives in Israel. The delegation will be headed by Guven Sak, one of the heads of the Turkish Manufacturers and Traders Association, and will discuss the plans of establishing an industrial zone in the Jenin area by the Bank of Jordan. According to the Israel National News, Turkey plans to invest a total of at least $100 million in this initiative.

It should be noted that on 31 May 2010, Israeli naval forces attacked the Mavi Marmara, the flagship of a flotilla. After this incident relations between the two countries have seriously worsened. Turkey said the flotilla was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, while Israel claimed the activists on the ships had weapons. At that time Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul said "the relations between these countries would never be the same". Later Israel’s Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu under the pressure of the US President apologized for the incident. It was expected that the political contacts should be activated. However nothing serious was done.

Analysts say Turkey and Israel never wanted to stop these ties. Turkey just wanted to use this fact and activate its policy towards the Arab countries. Turkey tries to act as a leader of the Muslim world and that is the reason why Turkish authorities worsened their relationship with Israel.

And now, for the first time in five years, Turkey and Israel are going to deepen their ties. And it happens after the signing of the nuclear deal between Iran and world six powers. In the context of the new geopolitical realities they have to join their efforts against the Iranian rising influence in the region.

It should be noted that Turkey is the first Muslim country that recognized Israel in 1949. In its turn, Israel tries to develop its relations with non-Arab Muslim countries. This gives enough ground to assume that their relationship has strategic importance for both of them.