Israel's New Government Offers Opportunity for Reset with Turkey as Obstacles Remain

ISTANBUL - Turkey sees Israel’s formation of a new government without Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a chance for the two countries to reset relations that have long been strained. But recent fighting between Hamas and Israel threatens to complicate any effort to improve ties.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Benjamin Netanyahu routinely exchanged insults, with both leaders making little secret of their mutual dislike.   With Netanyahu gone, an opportunity now exists for improving ties, says Sinan Ulgen of Istanbul’s Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies. But Ulgen warns Erdogan's fiery condemnation last month of Israel for its military confrontation with Hamas will complicate those efforts. “There (was) now a lot of personal animosity between the Turkish leadership and Netanyahu, whereas now there is a new political leadership in Israel," Ulgen said. "But given Turkey's reaction to the Israel-Palestinian outburst, now it's too raw to restart on that path. But the fact Netanyahu is not anymore part of the government in Israel should certainly be viewed as a positive development.”