Tensions between Turkey and Israel have been on the rise for 20 years. Until the summer of 2006, relations between the two countries were very warm. They encompassed military and security cooperation as well as close political and economic ties. Despite the rise of the Islamist Justice and Development Party to power as early as 2002, relations remained good — as were the personal relations between Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert.
The situation began to deteriorate in the summer of 2006 with the Second Lebanon War. At that time, Turkey gained the impression that Israel was operating across the entire region — including in areas where Turkey has clear interests, such as Syria — without coordinating with it and without taking it into account. That is where the tensions began, the consequences of which we feel to this day.
When looking at the situation between Israel and Turkey from the perspective of blame or responsibility, it seems as though responsibility can be divided equally. Both countries and the leaderships of both states bear equal...
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