Guest Analysis: Jerusalem Embassy Move Sparks Turkey-Israel War of Words
MESOP NEWS OPINIONS : THE RAND CORPORATION & A BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE
2 Jan 2018 – CIPHER LETTER – Shira Efron, Rand Corporation’s special advisor on Israel, writes that the Trump administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital opened an old wound between Turkey and Israel, all but scuppering the 2016 reconciliation between the two Mediterranean countries. • “Although the reconciliation encouraged various stakeholders who are eager to resume the decades-old bilateral Israeli-Turkish collaboration, diplomatic and security cooperation is unlikely anytime soon.”
- “Jerusalem’s view is that as long as Erdoğan is in charge, diplomatic relations will be kept at a low profile – despite Turkey’s size and regional position as a militarily capable Sunni country that might help contain Iranian influence in the region.”
Read Efron’s take on Turkish-Israeli dynamics.