Turkish-Israeli relations under AKP rule

Abstract

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.