Collision course: Are Israel and Turkey headed for confrontation?

Last week, Israeli aircraft struck the T4 airbase and Hama airport in Syria, along with two other military airbases. The operation, according to several Hebrew media reports, was intended to frustrate Turkish efforts to install air defenses and radar systems at the targeted sites. The Israeli attack forms part of a larger, looming confrontation between Ankara and Jerusalem. 

Syria is currently the most active front in this contest. Other points of friction include Judea and Samaria, Gaza, and the eastern Mediterranean. But what are the driving forces behind the dispute, and why have recent months witnessed a sudden, sharp escalation in its intensity? Are Israel and Turkey set on an inevitable collision course?Turkey’s President Recep Tayepp Erdogan and the Islamist AKP have held power in Turkey since 2002. Erdogan’s presidency should be seen in historic terms. The Turkish leader is engaged in the transformation of Turkey, both internally and in its relations with its surroundings. 

The recent arrest of Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is the latest indication that Erdogan h...
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