Developments in Turkey-Israel Relations in the Past Decade and the Implications for Iran

Relations between Turkey and Israel are of great importance due to Tel Aviv and Ankara's influence; especially from the Islamic Republic of Iran's point of view. Their alliance in 1996 posed a serious threat to Iran, but it seems that during the past decade, relations between them have become tense with positive results for Iran. This trend has been particularly noticeable after the Justice and Development Party's ascent to power in Turkey. Therefore, studying domestic, regional and trans-regional developments and their impact on relations between Turkey and Israel as well as on the I.R.I. is of great importance. After reviewing developments in Turkey-Israel relations in the past decade, this article concludes that those ties will not be severed although they will tend to diverge. This research argues that this will have positive consequences for Iranian foreign policy, which is faced with complexities and difficulties in the region.