As expected, Ankara has begun�to take sharp turns in its foreign policy. Following�a statement by Prime Minister Binali Yildirim that Turkey will pursue a more realistic foreign policy to decrease enemies�and�increase friends,�the first major�turn has appeared in Israel-Turkey relations.

Relations between the two countries were radically degraded after May 31, 2010, when the Israeli military raided�a Turkish flotilla that was trying to break�through the Israeli blockade and�deliver humanitarian relief supplies to Gaza. Israeli soldiers killed 10 Turkish nationals�in the course of the incident.

Ankara withdrew its ambassador from Tel Aviv and asked Israel to apologize, pay indemnity to the families of the victims and lift its blockade on�Gaza. When Israel did not respond, Turkey drastically lowered diplomatic relations�and suspended its�entire gamut of military agreements and defense projects with Israel. The military-security field has definitely�suffered the most from the friction between the two countries after the Mavi Marmara incident.
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This article was written by Metin Gurcan for Al-Monitor on July 1, 2016. Metin Gurcan is a columnist for Al-Monitor's Turkey Pulse. He served in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Iraq as a Turkish military adviser between 2002-2008.