CONTEMPORARY EURASIA IX ( 2 )
age in Turkish-Israeli relations . 47 Similarly , Ofra Bengio and Gencer Özcan describe the Turkish-Israeli alignment in the 1990s in detail . Notably , they talk about military cooperation that puts bilateral relations on a new level . They claim that this alignment was unique per se , as it brought together a Muslim and a Jewish state : a rare phenomenon in modern history . 48 Jacob Abadi argues that Turkey ’ s aspiration to maintain cordial relations with Israel was largely conditioned by the latter ’ s alignment with the West . It was not a secret that Turkey was conducting pro-Western policy at that time , aiming at gaining full membership in NATO . 49 Continuing Abadi ’ s argument about Turkey ’ s inclination towards the West , Yavuz assures us that besides that fact , Ataturk ’ s promotion of secularism also made the alignment between these two states more than possible . Another significant impetus in the deepening of cordial relations was the perception of common threats in Syria and Iran . 50
Abadi , in turn , analyses Turkish-Israeli relations from Israel ’ s perspective . He says that Israel has always sought to establish strong relations with the so-called ‘ periphery ’ states , referring to Turkey , Iran , and Ethiopia , as they were located on the periphery of the Middle East . Through this peripheral diplomacy , Israel tried to avoid isolation , because being situated in the heart of the Arab world , with whom Israel was fiercely fighting over the Palestinian issue as well as others , Israel was surrounded by hostile nations . 51
However , with the rise of the Justice and Development Party ( AKP ) in the 2000s , Turkey ’ s attitude towards Israel has changed , as the former ’ s domestic and foreign policy also has changed . 52 Mohammed Alsaftawi claims that a number of events that took place in the 2000s , like the offensive against Hamas , Operation Cast Lead in late 2008 and early 2009 , and Mavi Marmara in 2010 resulted in the deterioration of Turkish-Israeli relations . 53 He states that further deterioration of relations
47
Ibid . 48 Ofra Bengio , Özcan Gencer , “ Old Grievances , New Fears : Arab Perceptions of Turkey
and Its Alignment with Israel ,” Middle Eastern Studies 37 , no . 2 , ( 2001 ): 50-92 .
49
Jacob Abadi , “ Israel and Turkey : From Covert to Overt Relations ,” Journal of Conflict Studies 15 , no . 2 , ( 1995 ): 1-16 . 50 Hakan M . Yavuz , “ Turkish-Israeli Relations Through the Lens of the Turkish Identity
Debate ,” Journal of Palestine Studies 27 , no . 1 , ( 1997 ): 22-37 .
51
Jacob Abadi , Israel ' s quest for recognition and acceptance in Asia : Garrison state diplomacy , ( London : Frank Cass , 2004 ), 3-28 . 52 Uzer , “ Turkish-Israeli Relations : Their Rise and Fall .” 53 Mohammed Alsaftawi , “ Turkish policy towards Israel and Palestine : Continuity and
change in the relations of the Turkish-Palestinian-Israeli triangle under the rule of the 14