Asia Times By
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Will there be a thaw in ties between the two? Photos: AFP/Ronen Zvulun/Ozan Kose
One of the most remarkable and controversial developments the Middle East saw in 2020 was the wave of Arab states normalizing relations with their former foe Israel.
The first to end decades of rejection was the UAE, with Bahrain and Sudan soon following. In December, Morocco, too, formally cemented ties with Tel Aviv.
But the shift underway in Turkey, one of the region’s most powerful non-Arab states, could dramatically shift Middle Eastern and European geopolitics in the years ahead.
“We would like to bring our ties to a better point,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul on December 25.
This surprised many, as Erdogan has been one of Israel’s strongest critics in recent years, repeatedly condemning Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians….