Gaza progress, Syria pullback: What Turkey wants from Israel’s next government
Ankara sees room for limited improvement in ties if Israel’s next government eases Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and reduces military pressure on Syria.
ANKARA — As uncertainty persists over Israel’s next government, Turkey sees room for limited improvement in ties with Israel regardless of who takes power, even if it is incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, provided the Jewish state eases Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and reduces military pressure on Syria.
Israeli elections’ final vote count gave incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc 53 seats in the 120-member parliament, the opposition led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot 48 and Arab parties 19. The messy coalition-building process is now underway, and another round of elections remains a possibility.
Ankara’s preference for an Israeli government without Netanyahu is no secret. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly singled him out for condemnation over Gaza.
Nevertheless, regardless of who comes to power in Israel, Ankara wants to move relations toward pragmatic engagement even if full normalization remains out of reach.
