Some 15 years after late President Shimon Peres visited Ankara, President Isaac Herzog is slated to arrive at the Turkish capital on Wednesday with the aim of rebuilding relations with his counterpart, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Given the complex relationship between the two countries over the past decade, Herzog's historic visit marks the beginning of a new era for these diplomatic ties.
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Contrary to previous overtures on the issue, this time, Turkey is the one seeking rapprochement. This raises the question of what made Erdogan, who has never shied away from lambasting Israel, pursue it at this time.
Facing the erosion of the Turkish lira and the lack of foreign investors, Ankara was forced last November to normalize its relations with the United Arab Emirates.
The emirates, recognizing Ankara's economic weakness, were quick to announce a $10 billion investment in the Turkish market. In doing so, Abu Dhabi in effect procured the turning point in Turkish foreign policy towards it - and demanded that Ankara abandon its contrarian foreign policy, which also contradicts the spirit of the Abrahamic Accords.
Moreover, restoring relations with the United States, and obtaining natural gas pumped from Israel's exclusive economic waters at the expense of Greece and Cyprus are two additional – notable – anecdotes that explain the shift in the Turkish president's stance toward Israel.
Over the last two weeks, Turkey, like other countries, has been appalled by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This made it appreciate the fact it is part of the NATO alliance – of which it was dismissive in the past. The war in Ukraine will probably see Ankara return to the traditional pro-Western foreign policy we saw during the Cold War.
These circumstances mean that this is the first time in the history of bilateral relations that Israel has the upper hand.
This means that Jerusalem must make the most of this momentum while not relenting on principles such as demanding that Hamas terrorists be expelled from Turkey. We must also make it clear to Erdogan that Jerusalem is closely monitoring the aggressive, antisemitic, and anti-Israel public discourse in Turkey, and any attempt to delegitimize Israel will be considered a serious breach of trust between the two countries.
Unlike in the past, the Israeli struggle should focus on Turkish public opinion and foster direct, healthy contact between the peoples. Along with events such as concerts by the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, emphasis must be placed on popular events in which clerics, NGOs, and even sports teams.
For Israel to achieve this goal, the Israeli government is required to change its frame of mind as Herzog is doing. It is time to abandon the traditional method of behind-the-scenes moves, which has characterized foreign policy vis-à-vis Arab countries for many years. To truly normalize ties, any contact between Israeli and Turkish officials - on any level - must be visible, with both flags in clear public view.
Any type of covert relationship – with the exception of intelligence sharing – will be counterproductive. Israel's vital interests call for normalizing relations with Ankara but in a manner the Turks will know how to appreciate: without relinquishing national dignity.
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