History of Israel-Turkey relations from 1996 to 2018 - Talk with Dr. Jonathan Ghariani

Please join the Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies on Tuesday, February 15, 2022 at 12:00PM EST / 7:00PM ILT, for a virtual talk with Dr. Jonathan Ghariani, their current visiting scholar on the History of Israel-Turkey relations from 1996 to 2018.

This presentation will address Israel-Turkey relations since the so-called ‘honeymoon’ period, when both established a robust strategic partnership. One reason for Turkish-Israeli military cooperation was the unwillingness of the US and European states to upgrade Turkey’s military hardware, while another was the security threat posed by Syria to both Ankara and Jerusalem. The strategic partnership entailed arms sales, joint military exercises, use of Turkish air space for operational training, and intelligence sharing. Eventually relations between the two countries would deteriorate under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and reached its lowest point in June 2010 in the aftermath of the Navi Marmara incident. Despite attempts by both sides to mend ties, relations between Israel and Turkey remain tense and no rapprochement can be envisaged in the foreseeable future. 

Dr. Jonathan Ghariani received his PhD in 2020 from the University College London. His project is focused on the Madrid Multilateral Peace Process and the Era of Partial Normalization between Israel and the Peripheral Arab States (1992-2000).

Leah Adoni (BA Political Science), one of their research assistants, worked on this project alongside Dr. Ghariani. Together, they researched how the relationship between these two regional leaders developed over the last few decades.