An imminent breakthrough in normalization efforts between Israel and Turkey "should not surprise anyone; I do not see any political obstacle standing in the way of normalization,” a senior Turkish official was quoted as saying to the Today’s Zaman newspaper on Sept. 5.
And it is true that no one should be surprised. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan now has all the reasons in the world to swallow his pride and go back to restoring close ties with Turkey’s former ally, Israel.