The underlying reasons of deterioration of Turkish-Israeli relations in the aftermath of the Gaza blockade and the flotilla incident

Abstract

The Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2008/2009 and its attack on the Turkish humanitarian flotilla in 2010 cannot by themselves explain the recent deterioration of Turkish-Israeli relations. The deep reasons underlying it seem to be grounded more in the domestic developments in Turkey and the continuing stagnation of the Middle East peace process, which have pushed towards a further escalation of the crisis between the two countries. This essay will thoroughly analyze the nature of the Turkish-Israeli crisis and explain in what way the factors identified have contributed to the deterioration of Turkish-Israeli relations in the recent years.