Some 15 years after the late President Shimon Peres' visit to Ankara, President Yitzhak Herzog will take off today (Wednesday) in the Turkish capital with the aim of rebuilding relations with his counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Given the complex relationship over the past decade, Herzog's historic visit marks the beginning of a new era in the relationship.
In contrast to past cases, the request for the restoration of relations came from the Turkish side.
The question arises: What made President Erdogan, whose critical attitudes toward Israel are no secret, come closer to Jerusalem?
In the shadow of the ongoing erosion in the value of the Turkish lira and the lack of foreign investors, Ankara was forced last November to normalize its relations with the UAE.
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 acquired the turning point in Turkish foreign policy towards it - and demanded that Ankara abandon its counter-foreign policy, which was against the spirit of the Abrahamic treaties.
In addition, the restoration of relations with the United States, and the receipt of natural gas from the rigs in Israel's exclusive economic waters at the expense of Greece and Cyprus - are two notable anecdotes that explain the Turkish president's U-turn towards Israel.
President Herzog, Archive, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Secrecy - self-goal
In the last two weeks, like other countries, Ankara has been shocked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine - and has suddenly recalled the importance of the NATO alliance, which it has underestimated over the past decade.
In light of all the reasons mentioned above, this is the first time in the history of bilateral relations that Israel has the upper hand.
Therefore, in Jerusalem we must take advantage of the momentum and not give up on basic principles, such as demanding the removal of the terrorist organization Hamas from Turkish territories;
And yes, a clarification to Erdogan that Israel is following the aggressive, anti-Semitic and anti-Israel public discourse in Turkey closely, 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 the consciousness of the Turkish public, and create direct and healthy contact between the peoples.
Along with events such as concerts by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, emphasis must be placed on popular events in which clerics, NGOs and even basketball and football teams will take part.
For Jerusalem to achieve this goal, the Israeli government needs to change disk as President Herzog does today - and abandon the traditional system of behind-the-scenes moves that have characterized foreign policy toward Arab countries for many years.
In order to achieve true normalization, any contact that Israel will make with the Turks - on any level - must be visible, with the flags of Israel and Turkey in front of the public eye.
Any type of clandestine relationship, other than the intelligence connection, would be considered a self-goal, to say the least in football terms.
For the vital and security interests of the State of Israel, normalization of relations with Ankara is certainly required, but as the Turks know to appreciate: without relinquishing national dignity.
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