Turkey, Israel and the US after the Flotilla Crisis: Alliances in Jeopardy?
Israel’s deadly Gaza flotilla operation sparked yet another diplomatic crisis between Israel and Turkey. Since the Israeli attack on Gaza in December 2008, bilateral relations have spiraled downward. Once “strategic allies” in the Middle East, Turkey and Israel’s breaking relations proved to have broader consequences for both countries’ relations with the US, their standing in the region and in the world, and the geopolitical equilibrium in the Middle East.What are the implications of this crisis for Turkey, Israel, the US, and other key countries in the Middle East? How will the flotilla crisis and its aftermath affect the changing political dynamics in the Middle East? Can this crisis be turned into a peace opportunity? Will it facilitate or stall the Arab-Israeli peace process?
Nuh Yilmaz, Director of the SETA Foundation in Washington DC.
Ufuk Ulutas, Middle East Coordinator, SETA Foundation, Washington, D.C.
Event Summary
Israel’s deadly Gaza flotilla operation sparked yet another diplomatic crisis between Israel and Turkey. Since the Israeli attack on Gaza in December 2008, bilateral relations have spiraled downward. Once “strategic allies” in the Middle East, Turkey and Israel’s breaking relations proved to have broader consequences for both countries’ relations with the US, their standing in the region and in the world, and the geopolitical equilibrium in the Middle East.
What are the implications of this crisis for Turkey, Israel, the US and other key countries in the Middle East? How effective will the flotilla crisis and its aftermath be in changing political dynamics in the Middle East? Can this crisis be turned into a peace opportunity? Will it facilitate or stall the Arab-Israeli peace process?
