Israel’s unexpected official apology to Turkey over the deadly May 30, 2010, raid by Israeli commandos on the Mavi Marmara aid ship, during which nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists were shot dead, may be the product of necessity for a country increasingly isolated in its region.
The apology, whose timing took many — this writer included — by surprise, however, also provides Turkey a chance to regain its lost political influence in a region where it once appeared set to play a key role as a major mediator.
