Geopolitical reality main driver behind Israeli-Turkish reconciliation

 After six years of animosity, Israel's reconciliation with Turkey was announced on Monday. The deal, which marked the beginning of a new geopolitical reality in the region, enables the two countries to normalize relations, but the road ahead could be bumpy.

The agreement, which still remains to be ratified by Israel's cabinet and Turkey's parliament, is the epitome of realpolitik on both sides and it is perhaps exactly what is needed in the volatile Middle East, observers here say.

The Israeli government is hailing the agreement as a success. Its terms do show achievements for the Jewish state.

Israel and Turkey used to be close allies. In 2010 when a Gaza bound flotilla originating in Turkey tried to break Israel's blockade on the territory, a forceful Israeli intervention killed nine Turkish citizens and created a huge rift in the relations between the two countries.

The agreement was greeted by many but questioned as well. Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said they received all what they had asked for. The truth is somewhere in the middle -- this way each leader can capitalize politically.

As part of the deal, the countries will restore full diplomatic relations which were downgraded immediately after the incident.

Israel will pay 20 million U.S. dollars in compensation to the families of the Turkish victims.

Turkey will be allowed to begin aid projects in the Gaza Strip and deliver goods to the impoverished territory through an Israeli port in the south of the country.

Throughout the negotiations, Turkey had insisted that the blockade on Gaza be lifted and sees this as a sign of Israel essentially doing just that.

Speaking in Rome after announcing the deal, Netanyahu said the blockade is still in place.

Turkey will be allowed to send goods into Gaza through an Israeli port, which means Israel still controls what goes into Gaza. In addition, perhaps more importantly, Israel still controls the traffic of Gazan residents -- most of them not allowed out of the impoverished territory.

Raphael Ahern, a diplomatic correspondent for the Israel Times said the agreement "allows both sides to save face."

Israel had already in the past issued an apology for the incident and had agreed to compensate the families. Some in Israel believe such compensation is unprecedented.

In a Facebook post, Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog called the financial settlement "unfathomable," saying "every Hebrew mother should know that right wing leaders will compensate your son's attackers."

A poll conducted by Israeli Channel 10 hours before the agreement was announced showed that the majority of Israel's were unhappy with the deal. About 56 percent were against, 33 percent were in favor and the remaining 11 percent did not know.

For many Israelis, the compensation is a difficult pill to swallow, as expressed by Herzog.

In addition, Israelis expected to receive the remains of two missing soldiers who were killed two years ago during the last war Israel fought with Hamas in Gaza.

The poll indicted that 67 percent of Israelis believe the return on the bodies should have been a precondition to the deal.

In response to the public criticism, the Israeli prime minister's office said that Hamas was not a party in the agreement and therefore this could not be agreed to. However, they added, Turkey promised to assist in bringing the soldiers home.

When word of the agreement came out, the families erected a tent outside of Netanyahu's home in protest of the agreement. Netanyahu said he understood 'the suffering of the families.'

As part of the agreement, Turkey has agreed to ratify a law that would end all legal claims the Turkish people may have against military personnel who participated in the raid on the flotilla.

The deal comes at a time of great instability in the region.

Professor Dror Zeevi, who specializes in Middle Eastern Studies, explains the geopolitical context.

"Turkey and Israel are both kind of isolated in the Middle East. They need each other. There are lots of common issues -- ISIS, problems of Syria and Iraq. They need each other, the U.S. and probably the world needs them to cooperate on these issues," he says.

Hours after the reconciliation was announced, there were media reports that Erdogan had apologized to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the downing of a Russian jet on the Turkish-Syrian border last year.

The timing of both is probably no coincidence -- both Turkey and Israel need to improve their positions in the fragile Middle East.

"It's a pretty good one for Israel. It paid some compensation but in financial terms, it's not much and the agreement about Gaza allows Israel to maintain some kind of control over what goes into Gaza and what goes out of Gaza and that's very important as well," Zeevi summarizes.

The blockade on Gaza has not been lifted as a result of the agreement. This means Israel has achieved its main goal, while patching up its relations with a critical neighbor in the region.

Turkey had gotten the apology it had wanted prior to Monday's announcement and Israel had already said it would agree to pay compensation. Turkey will now be allowed to send goods and aid into Gaza via Israel. This allows Erdogan to say he is helping rehabilitate the territory.

The mutual interests of both sides are being served and this will most likely guarantee the longevity of the agreement. 
Source:XINHUA