Israel-Turkey Policy Dialogue Publica on Series November 2016 The Path to Normaliza on between Israel and Turkey by Arad Nir* It was July 3, 2016, only a few days a er the security cabinet had convened in Jerusalem and approved the reconcilia on agreement between Israel and Turkey. The bow of the Lady Leyla ship slipped into the breakwaters at the entrance of the Ashdod port. When the ship was safely ed to the dock, ten thousand tons of humanitarian aid sent by the Turkish government to the people of Gaza via Israel was unloaded. Twenty-four hours earlier, at the port of Mersin in southern Turkey, Turkish dignitaries had stood on the dock and applauded the signing of the agreement that enabled Turkey to“break the blockade” and assist the suffering people of the Gaza Strip. Media outlets in Turkey and in Israel adopted the narra ves that were marketed by the respec ve leaders of their countries: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey(via the new Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel. The television networks, internet sites and newspapers in the two countries covered the sailing voyage of the Lady Leyla. None of them bothered to emphasize the fact that Turkey could have sent aid to Gaza via the Port of Ashdod, subject to Israeli security inspec on, even without the agreement that was signed at the end of nego a ons that extended over six years. Throughout that long, wasted period of ups and downs, agreements, disagreements and various crises, both sides dug themselves into their respec ve posi ons and refused to budge an inch. When the me was right, and the strategic decision to normalize rela onship was taken both by Turkey and by Israel, the heretofore“cri cal” stumbling-blocks became negligible. Proving that when there's a will, there's a way. When the agreement was completed, the prime minister of Israel and the prime minister of Turkey held simultaneous press conferences. Benjamin Netanyahu convened his press conference in Rome, where he went in order to meet with American Secretary of State John Kerry on other issues. Binali Yıldırım convened the journalists in his chambers in Ankara. These press conferences were widely covered by the media outlets in both countries, and broadcast live on all the relevant television networks. These press conferences were the last stage of the process that was widely covered by the media in both countries. The stages that followed were conducted almost in secrecy, and not because of lack of public interest. The agreement was signed simultaneously in Jerusalem by the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Dore Gold, and in Ankara by the outgoing Undersecretary of ministry of Foreign Affairs, Feridun Sinirlioğlu. The two *Arad Nir is Foreign Affairs Editor and Interna onal Commentator for Channel 2 News- Israel's largest news provider. He has a special interest in Turkey and for nearly two decades he presents the changes and developments in Turkey to his viewers with great enthusiasm. Arad Nir sees Turkey as an essen al regional partner for Israel. Since the onset of the Mavi Marmara crisis he argued that the government of Israel should not spare efforts to take all necessary steps and requirements to normalize its rela ons with Ankara. 1