CONTEMPORARY EURASIA IX ( 2 )
Israeli forces . As a result of the shooting , 10 Turkish activists were killed . The purpose of the flotilla was to deliver aid to Gaza . 110 The outbreak of the Arab Spring created new challenges for the already soured relations . Turkey tried to fill the power vacuum resulting from the uprisings and fulfill its aspirations to become a leading regional power , which was unacceptable for Israel . 111
In spite of the decades-long close cooperation , Israeli-Turkish relations notably deteriorated in the 2000s because of Turkey ' s permanent support of Hamas , its campaigns for the international recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state and its overall commitment to the Palestinian cause . Additionally , Turkey has not recognized Hamas as a terrorist organization , unlike Israel . These events strained bilateral relations further .
“ Is the enemy of my enemy my friend ?”
The first substantial sign of the developing relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel can be considered the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 . In this regard , the Saudi authorities came up with a critical statement , describing Hezbollah ’ s action towards Israel as " illegitimate resistance involved in miscalculated adventure ." 112 Moreover , shortly after the war , in 2007 , Israel ’ s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert traveled to Jordan on the request of the King , where they met with the foreign ministers of the Arab League , including Saudi Arabia ’ s foreign minister . They discussed the possible ways of considering the Saudi Arab Peace Plan . As a result of the meeting , Olmert said : “ The road remains long , and our enemies are many , but there are also first signs of developments that point to the chance that in the coming year we will manage to make progress towards resolving the conflicts with our neighbors , especially with the Palestinians .” 113 It is worth mentioning once again that according to the peace initiative , the members would recognize Israel as a sovereign state . In exchange , Israel should return the territories occupied in 1967 .
110
“ Mavi Marmara : Why did Israel stop the Gaza flotilla ?”, BBC , June 27 , 2016 , https :// www . bbc . com / news / 10203726 . 111 Almog and Sever , The Mavi Marmara : An Embattled Voyage and Its Consequences ,
61-101 . 112 Suzan Quitaz , “ Saudi-Israeli Relations : The Emergence of a new alliance ,” The New
Arab , August 14 , 2019 , https :// english . alaraby . co . uk / english / indepth / 2019 / 8 / 14 / saudiisraeli-relations-the-emergence-of-a-new-alliance . 113 Ronny Sofer , “ Olmert Hopeful of Mideast Peace ,” Ynetnews , April 18 , 2007 ,
https :// www . ynetnews . com / articles / 0,7340 , L-3389582,00 . html . 26