Israel seeks to rebuild diplomatic relations with Turkey, but at the same time works to consolidate its relations with Greece and Cyprus.
In a report in the Spanish newspaper "Atelier", writer Anna Rodriguez says that the tripartite military cooperation between Greece, Israel and Cyprus that started in November 2017 will have a decisive long-term role in the eastern Mediterranean.
Disagreements over the exploitation of gas in the eastern Mediterranean have added to tensions in the region and made it difficult to resolve the Libyan conflict.
The writer indicated that the future of this region depends on Turkey's moves and the decisions of the tripartite military cooperation, a cooperation that has been strengthened in recent months, to counter the Turkish presence in the region.
According to this scenario, the Greek Ministry of National Defense announced the rental of Heron drones systems from Israel in order to enhance security on its borders, while Israel plans to rebuild its diplomatic relations with Turkey.
In early May, representatives of the governments of Greece and Israel signed an agreement to supply heron systems for drones designed for maritime surveillance tasks. The agreement covers three years of service, including training for Greek operators, and this system will be primarily responsible for border security and maritime surveillance.
The author explained that this agreement is due to Athena's concern about the activity of the Turkish drones in the Aegean Sea.
According to some sources, Turkey has developed and deployed various types of drones in recent years, which have played an increasingly important role in surveillance and combat operations in the region, especially in Syria and Libya.
Geopolitical importance As
long as the eastern Mediterranean is a historical center of tension because of its geopolitical importance, it is the gateway to the Red Sea through Egypt and the gateway to Europe, and although the relations between European countries and other southern and eastern Mediterranean countries go back several centuries, the discovery of gas fields by Israel In 2009, Egypt and Lebanon increased suspicion in the region.
The natural gas reserves that were found during the past decade started to be exploited by some countries in the region - such as Egypt and Israel - which are already using these fields for internal consumption or to export gas to neighboring countries.
My enemy's enemy is my friend.
An Israeli official has previously told Middle East Eye that the Israeli government is seeking to improve diplomatic ties with Turkey through the possible appointment of ambassadors.
It can be said that the supply of natural gas in the eastern Mediterranean and Syria is one of the topics that could enhance this cooperation.
The Israeli official also pointed out that Turkey has an ambassador to Greece despite the increase in diplomatic tensions, which is similar to what is happening with the UAE.
The author notes that the freezing of relations between Turkey and Israel took place in 2010, after a violent Israeli attack on the Turkish aid ship "Mavi Marmara" that killed at least ten people.
"Mavi Marmara" was part of the first fleet of freedom loaded with aid, and was on its way to Gaza when it was attacked by Israel, and the bloody accident caused the withdrawal of diplomatic envoys from both sides, which constituted a serious blow to bilateral relations.
After several years of boycott, the two countries announced in 2016 that their diplomatic ties were back to normal, however, Turkey and Israel have had no ambassadors in their capitals since the United States moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May 2018, which led to massive protests By the Palestinians.
The author pointed out that the Corona pandemic highlighted the rapprochement between the two countries.
According to Middle East Eye, Israel has helped Turkey in the past few weeks to deliver a shipment of medical aid to the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the two countries have strengthened their relations in times when they faced a common threat, whether in the Syrian war or the Corona pandemic, or in light of the intensification of competition within the Gulf, which completely changed the context of relations between these two powers. To achieve this rapprochement, there must be a mutual will for reconciliation.
Gas fields
After the Mavi Marmara accident and the spacing between the two countries, Israel searched for several allies in the region to exploit the discovered gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean, such as Greece and Cyprus.
The author said that the rapprochement between Israel and Turkey could jeopardize the future of this tripartite relationship. In recent years, Athens gradually replaced Ankara as Tel Aviv's partner, yet Turkey is not ready to give up its leading role in the Eastern Mediterranean and will continue to pursue its ambitions.
It is noteworthy that Turkey does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus, and insists that only citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are entitled to part of the island's gas resources.
The author concluded that the desire to counter Turkey's influence in the region created the ideal conditions for the emergence of an alliance between Cyprus, Egypt, Greece and Israel.
In this uncertain scenario, tensions may continue to worsen and the entire geopolitical map change in just a few months.
It also appears that Turkey, Israel and Greece are determined to defend their interests, even if this cost them to cancel the agreements signed in recent years.