Turkey and Israel May Reconcile After Years of Tension

An energy pipeline project under consideration could help Turkey and Israel renew their partnership after years of strain. On March 23, Israeli financial daily Globes announced that more than 10 companies had submitted bids for the tender of a proposed undersea pipeline that would export natural gas from Israel's offshore Leviathan field to southern Turkey. The statement came shortly before Today's Zaman reported a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's personal envoy for energy and security issues, David Meidan, and the chief of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization, Hakan Fidan, in which both parties reportedly agreed to work toward reopening embassies and normalizing relations, which have been fraught since the 2010 flotilla incident that left several Turks dead.

Israel and Turkey currently find themselves isolated in the region, giving both countries a reason to begin working together again, especially now that Turkey's ruling party has consolidated its power in the recent elections and feels more secure against a domestic backlash. While several technical and political obstacles make it unlikely that the proposed Leviathan pipeline will be constructed anytime soon, the issue could be used as a springboard for normalizing Israeli-Turkish diplomatic relations and opening the door to more bilateral investment and intelligence cooperation.