Turkish-Israeli relations under AKP rule

ABSTRACT

Turkey was the first Muslim state to recognise Israel in 1949. While Israeli-Turkish relations have been characterised by ups and downs, mainly due to the Palestinian issue, they reached an all-time low under the Justice and Development Party (AKP) rule. Yet, it was not until 2009 that bilateral relations started to deteriorate. Operation Cast Lead marked a turning point in bilateral relations, followed by a series of crisis: the ‘One Minute crisis’, the ‘Lower Sofa crisis’, and the Mavi Marmara flotilla crisis. With both sides’ agreement to restore full diplomatic relations following Israel’s President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Turkey in March 2022, the normalisation process in bilateral relations gained pace, only to go into a swift decline yet again following the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. This article analyses the focal events and dynamics that led to the deterioration and normalisation of bilateral relations under the AKP’s rule. It shows that in addition to the Palestinian issue, the AKP’s foreign policy vision and both states’ divergent security interests created a conducive environment for the deterioration of bilateral relations.

KEYWORDS:

• Turkey
• Israel
• AKP
• Justice and Development Party
• foreign policy
• ‘Arab Spring’
• Recep Tayyip Erdogan
• Benjamin Netanyahu

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Akgün and Görgülü, “Politics”; and Randall, “Turkey and Israel.”

2. Tur, “Turkey and Israel,” 47

3. Cagaptay and Evans, “Turkey.”

4. Inbar, “Israeli-Turkish Tensions,” 28; Cohen and Freilich, “Breakdown,” 2; and Cagaptay and Evans, “Turkey.”

5. Akgün and Görgülü, “Politics.”

6. Fishman, “Turkish-Israeli Relations,” 34; Ozcan, “Aynalar Galerisi,” 41; and Arbell, “The US,” 19.

7. Eligür, “Crisis,” 429, 431; and Arbell, “The US,” 26.

8. Guardian, 4 June 2004.

9. Inbar, “Israeli-Turkish Tensions,” 29–30.

10. Eligür, “Crisis,” 433.

11. Ibid., 437; Cook and Gwertzman, “Gaza”; Celikkol, One Minute’ten, 77–8.

12. Webb-Pullman, “One Minute in Gaza.”

13. Celikkol, One Minute’ten, 80, 141; and Eligür, “Crisis,” 431.

14. Celikkol, One Minute’ten, 81–2.

15. YNET News, 2 February 2020.

16. Celikkol, One Minute’ten, 96–7.

17. Human Rights Council, “Report.”

18. Milliyet, 7 June 2010; and Telegraph, 13 September 2011.

19. Davutoğlu’s interview in AUC Cairo Review (Egypt).

20. Goren, “An Unfulfilled Opportunity,” 127; and Bekker, “Netanyahu.”

21. Ben-Meir, “Is Turkish-Israeli Reconciliation Imminent?”

22. Goren, “An Unfulfilled Opportunity,” 128.

23. The United Nations, “Report of the Secretary-General’s Panel of Inquiry.”

24. Goren, “An Unfulfilled Opportunity,” 127–9.

25. Ibid., 130–1; and Jerusalem Post, 5 September 2011.

26. Goren, “An Unfulfilled Opportunity,” 133; Business Turkey, 3 April 2011; Haaretz, 24 June 2011; and Jerusalem Post, 21 December 2011.

27. Arbell, “The U.S.,” 20–2.

28. Guardian, 22 March 2013.

29. Haaretz, 18 February 2013; Financial Times, 27 August 2013; and Hurriyet Daily News, 10 February 2014.

30. World Bulletin, 19 July 2004; and Arbell, “Turkey-Israel Relations,” 26–7.

31. Times of Israel, 28 November 2016; and Israel National News, 15 March 2017.

32. Reuters, 26 July 2017.

33. Ibid., 22 May 2018; and Times of Israel, 29 October 2019 & 14 January 2020.

34. Times of Israel, 21 August 2022; and New York Times, 9 March 2022.

35. Park, “Turkey’s Isolated Stance,” 595–6; Cohen and Freilich, “Breakdown”; and Goren, “An Unfulfilled Opportunity.”

36. Cagaptay, “Secularism,” vii.

37. Park, “Turkey’s Isolated Stance,” 596.

38. Arbell, “The U.S.-Turkey-Israel Triangle,” 24; and Loengarov, “Between Maritime Law and Politics.”

39. Özcan, “The AKP’s Changing Discursive Strategies,” 27; and New York Times, 9 March 2022.

40. Anadogu Agency, 24 December 2021. Tosun and Altas, “Turkey, UAE Sign Series Cooperation Agreements.”

41. Reuters, “Turkey, Egypt Pledge Further Talks to Normalize Ties After 2nd Round.”

42. Reuters, 8 September 2021 and 29 April 2022.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lacin İdil Oztig

Lacin İdil Oztig is a Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Yıldız Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey.