The long awaited normalization of ties between Israel and Turkey has yet to occur, despite remarks by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in May that the problems between them have largely been overcome. At first glance, little appears to have changed since then.

However, developments in Syria and particularly in Iraq are producing an increasing convergence of security interests between Turkey and Israel, while economic relations, especially in the energy field, continue to develop, with bilateral trade — which continued even when political ties hit rock bottom — registering new records.

The problems Davutoglu referred to include compensation for nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists killed by Israeli commandos on the aid ship Mavi Marmara as it prepared to run the Israeli blockade of Gaza on May 31, 2010. A further problem relates to the cancelation of lawsuits in Turkey against Israeli soldiers and senior officers involved in the raid, including former chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi.

Israeli media reported in February this year that Israel was offering $20 million in compensation for those killed, but the deal was never finalized, reportedly because of reluctance on the part of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu based on domestic political concerns. Netanyahu was criticized severely by hard-line Israelis when, bowing to pressure from US President Barack Obama, he called Erdogan in March 2013 to apologize over the raid.