Turkish journalist Soli Ozel says the nature of Turkish-Israeli relations are changed forever, not just because of the deadly flotilla incident.
Because the ruling AK Party (Justice and Development Party) belongs to Turkey’s Islamist tradition, many see the turn of events that has brought Turkey to the world’s attention as the result of an ideological shift in Turkish foreign policy.
I would argue, however, that most of these incidents – including the latest deadly flotilla incident that may have changed the nature of Turkish-Israeli relations forever – stem from structural causes having to do with Turkey’s new vision of itself as a “center power” in the broader Middle East.
Turkey and Israel today have such diverging visions for the Middle East that their policy preferences and approaches are increasingly irreconcilable. There is also a sense of competition. Under the rubric of model partnership, first raised by President Obama in his first visit to a majority Muslim country after his election, Ankara believes that it can forge a new relationship with the United States as its main partner in the region, in the process inevitably eroding Israel’s most-favored and protected status.
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