For many years, Turkey was the top tourist destination for Israelis. All-inclusive deals offered Israeli travelers a vacation at attractive prices, and the deals were snapped up by Israeli tourists wishing to get as much as they could on the cheap. The Turks are considered hospitable and warm hosts, and it seemed that this friendship could never be ruined. Then came the Mavi Marmara flotilla in 2010.
The flotilla that sailed from Turkey carrying hundreds of activists, mostly Turks, sought to break the maritime blockade on the Gaza Strip. When Israeli naval commandos boarded the deck of the Mavi Marmara, they were unexpectedly attacked and were forced to use live ammunition. The result: 10 Turkish activists were killed and an unprecedented diplomatic crisis between Jerusalem and Ankara ensued. Only in March 2013, following pressure from then-US President Barack Obama, did Israel apologize for the event. Later on, Israel agreed to compensate the families of those killed and injured, but this was reconciliation on paper only. Israelis preferred to refrain from visiting the country that was seen to be hostile to them.
