Ladders and ropes: Israeli–Turkish relations 2010–20

While Turkey was the first Muslim majority state to recognise Israel, bilateral relations underwent many ups and downs in subsequent decades, peaking in the 1990s and experiencing a sharp deterioration since the mid-2000s that culminated in the Mavi Marmara flotilla crisis of 2010. This article examines Turkish-Israeli relations in the 2010s, known as the ‘lost decade’, with a special emphasis on whether this period constitutes a continuation of the declining relations or a new link in the relations between the two states. Indeed, the hesitant reconciliation process that began in March 2022 with the return of ambassadors and a series of fence-mending steps was brought to an abrupt end in October 2023 as Ankara threw its full weight behind Hamas in its war against Israel.