On Friday, August 19, The Turkish Parliament has ratified a deal on the normalisation of relations with Israel. The deal was signed on June 28, 2016, but its ratification was delayed by an attempted coup d’état in Turkey. Under its provisions, both countries will exchange ambassadors, end all sanctions against each other, while Israel will pay out $20 mln in compensation to families of killed during an Israeli commando raid on a Turkish ship Mavi Marmara in exchange for having all outstanding legal claims dropped. Israel has also agreed to enable the transfer of humanitarian and developmental aid to the Gaza Strip, while Turkey has promised to pressure Hamas to release 4 captured Israelis and limits its activity on Turkish territory.

Normalisation of relations should end the diplomatic conflict between Israel and Turkey started in 2010, when Israeli commandos boarded ships of a so-called Gaza Freedom Flotilla. While trying to take control of a Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, the commandos opened fire, killing 10 people, including 9 Turkish citizens. The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, apologised for these events, but thatreconciliationattempt soon floundered. The current deal was negotiated in a series of secret meeting in December 2014, February and April 2015.

Normalisation will enable both countries to cooperate on common security and economic interests. The prospect of supplying natural gas to Turkey from Israeli fields in Eastern Mediterranean, as well as the need to cooperate on Syria are significant incentives for reconciliation. On Turkey’s part, normalisation of Israel ties forms a part of a larger strategy aimed at mending relations with other states in the Middle East and Black Sea region. Among other moves, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with his the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, to reduce tensions resulting from the shootdown of a Russian fighter jet by Turkish air force in November 2015. On Saturday, August 20, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım also expressed hope for reconciliation with Egypt, which significantly cooled relation following the ouster of Egyptian president Muhammad Mursi in a military coup in 2013.

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