How Erdogan will spin his deal with Israel
Although Israel did not meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's top condition of lifting the Gaza blockade, Erdogan is still hailing the reconciliation between the countries as a major win.
During his 20-plus years in various political offices, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been both the hero and the goat. It remains to be seen which role he will assume now that Turkey and Israel have announced the conditions of their reconciliation after 16 years.
As prime minister, Erdogan's silencing of Israel's then-President Shimon Peres with his now-historic “one minute” demarche at Davos 2009 accrued him vast prestige and delighted many people in the Middle East. In 2011, on the walls of three Palestinian camps I visited in Lebanon, I saw posters saluting Erdogan as a hero.
