For Israel and Turkey, Any Port in a Diplomatic Storm

Israel and Egypt have had the self-governing Palestinian territory of Gaza under comprehensive blockade since 2007. Turkey, a long-time critic of the blockade — especially in the wake of the 2010 flotilla crisis, when Turkish-Israeli relations reached a new low — has refused to discuss diplomatic reconciliation with Israel until the obstruction is lifted. To that end, quiet negotiations have been underway for months to resolve the issue and repair ties. Progress has been scant since February, but now a tentative agreement appears close. On April 15, Turkey's presidential adviser announced that Israel had consented to lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip and that a deal will soon be finalized.