Over the past few years we have been constantly warned of Israel's growing isolation. And here, all of a sudden, aside from Turkey we are seeing Greece, Cyprus, Egypt and even Balkan states batting their eyelashes at Israel's natural gas reservoirs. It is a good lesson for anyone who still doesn't understand that international relations aren't struck in some world leaders' club, but rather they are shaped by pure interests between states.
In today's world, it is important to have something to sell, and it is no less important to have something extra to offer. The Saudis, in stark contrast to us, have for years -- thanks to their endless supply of oil barrels -- been courted by the West despite their export of Salafism and jihadi terrorism. Israel, with its Western values, can in all likelihood expect an easier go of it than the Saudis. In a world hungry for energy, it is a bit difficult to boycott Israel when -- beyond its technological, medical and agricultural expertise -- it also has gas to export.
Israel's problem isn't expected to be regional isolation, rather the opposite: It will be how to choose between the different suitors. Among those vying for Israel's heart -- sorry, gas -- there are historical enmities (Turkey-Greece-Cyrpus), and herein lies the challenge: how to make amends with Turkey without upsetting the others.
Russia, incidentally, whose relations with Turkey have been tense since the downing of its plane over the Turkish-Syrian border last month, should be able to appreciate Israel's rapprochement with Turkey. After all, the Russians more than anyone understand that diplomatic interests are a vital element in any economic pact. It is the very essence of Russian foreign policy. In any case, Moscow cannot grumble to Israel due to the countries' shared understandings in regards to Syria, where Russia is working to keep President Bashar Assad, Iran and Hezbollah's loyal ally, in power.
This, in a nutshell, is the essence of the new Middle East. Some dream of goodwill among nations, but in reality all we can hope for is partnerships. We will have goodwill when the messiah comes. Here we have, if you will, another lesson in realpolitik.
And now to the Israeli-Turkish story: There is no doubt that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has managed to dramatically erode Israel's longtime relationship with Turkey, bringing it to unprecedented lows. We have drifted far from the Ben-Gurion era "periphery doctrine," which called for Israel to develop close strategic alliances with non-Arab Muslim states in the region (such as Iran, Turkey, Chad and Ethiopia). Erdogan began his horror show at Davos in early 2009, bad-mouthing Israel on the stage he shared with former President Shimon Peres. The low point was the Mavi Marmara incident in May of 2010. Attempts to rehabilitate relations have been made ever since. The Turks were never in a rush and issued almost impossible demands, such as lifting the Gaza blockade.
Finalizing the natural gas framework was no easy task, nor was mending ties with Turkey. It is very possible that the former expedited the latter.
How nice it is to be an Israeli, and to suddenly be courted like Saudi Arabia.
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