Terror-stricken Turkey is in a state of flux right now. The recent attacks there -- be they of the Kurdish or Islamic State variety -- have been extremely painful. But they are not at the heart of the main problem the country is facing. Turkey's state of instability has been ongoing since Recep Tayyip Erdogan, now the country's president, took power there more than a decade ago, initially as prime minister. The deaths of three Israeli tourists in Saturday's suicide bombing in Istanbul marks a national tragedy for Israel. But the bomber likely did not know whom he was killing. Turkey has faced many difficulties during Erdogan's time in power. Even while he was negotiating a deal with the European Union to take in migrants who had reached Greece, Erdogan also recently took over Turkey's biggest opposition newspaper, Zaman. And this weekend, Erdogan was courting Iran, which is now sanctions-free. But Erdogan is concurrently at odds with Russia, the main patron of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who also depends on support from Iran and Hezbollah. How will that work out- Erdogan has to allocate most of time to defusing minefields, both at home and abroad. His support for Hamas has complicated Turkey's ties with Egypt and has made reconciliation with Israel difficult, as most Israelis do not have warm feelings for Erdogan. Saturday's attack in Istanbul was an indicator of Erdogan's helplessness in the face of terrorism. No government can prevent all terrorist attacks, but Erdogan has no real achievements to his name in the anti-terror realm. In the good old days, Israel was a source of guidance to Turkey when it came to fighting terrorism. But in recent years, the ties between Israel and Turkey have been in a deep freeze, and it is unclear when the ongoing reconciliation talks will reach a conclusion. Not only is Erdogan inflexible, but all his moves expose his capriciousness. Israel will not invest in a gas pipeline to Turkey, not only due to the high cost, but also because of the chance the investment will be lost in the depths of the sea the moment Erdogan's mood changes. The vile anti-Israel tweet published by Irem Aktas, a member of Erdogan's AKP party, after Saturday's attack was of concern because it showed the atmosphere Erdogan's policies have produced. Let us hope this will not prevent the Turkish government from taking part wholeheartedly in the effort to bring the Israelis wounded in Saturday's attack home.
