In the days preceding the military coup in Egypt, the Turkish press discussed at large the Gezi Park riots in Istanbul and their impact on the future of Turkey. At the time, the Turkish local media was swept by a wave of anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli statements made by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ministers, who accused Israel of fanning the riot flames.
There were those who rushed to lament the reconciliation process between Turkey and Israel launched with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s apology to Erdogan on March 23. This process reached an impasse following two rounds of talks on the sum Israel was to pay in compensation to the families of the Turkish nationals killed and wounded in the May 2010 raid on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara flotilla.
