After an extended period of calm in Israeli-Turkish relations, which both countries utilized to rehabilitate their fragile fabric of shared connections in the fields of economy, tourism and even diplomacy, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again came out and with one belligerent declaration, even if it is devoid of any actual significance, threatened to destroy everything for which good-willed people in both countries are working so hard. In Jerusalem, Israeli officials reacted to Erdogan's comments with raised eyebrows, even if they were not totally surprised. After all, even after signing the reconciliation deal with Israel in 2016, which ended the diplomatic crisis triggered by the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, Erdogan is still committed to the Palestinian cause and is still deeply hostile at heart to Israel and what it represents. Yet the question remains, why did Erdogan suddenly choose to take a swipe at Israel? To be sure, he is currently waging a "world war" with half the globe -- against his political rivals at home, the European Union, the Russians, the Iranians and Syrians, and mostly against the Kurds inside Turkey and abroad. In the past, Erdogan has sought conflict with Israel to gain political points with his constituency at home, and as a means to bolster his and Turkey's standing in the Arab world. If we recall, Erdogan aspired to be a Middle Eastern sultan, and Israel was supposed to be the bridge he would cross to win the hearts and minds of the Arab masses. Erdogan, however, no longer needs Israel to convince Turkish voters to support him. The failed coup attempt last July provided him with a golden opportunity to eliminate his rivals. So far, his revenge has consisted of arrests and dismissals of tens of thousands, but now Erdogan wants to reinstate the death penalty in Turkey. Every regime in the Arab world, meanwhile, chief among them the Egyptian regime, rejects the Turkish model Erdogan is peddling -- a country ruled by an Islamic party where religion plays the most prominent role in matters of state and society. Nevertheless, the Turkish president is incapable of controlling himself, as evidenced by his latest anti-Israel diatribe, and it appears that herein lies the problem. What we are seeing is an impulsive ruler who cannot contain his own ego. Incidentally, his tirades against Europe, and Russia for that matter -- at least until Russian President Vladimir Putin called him to order -- were no less severe that his attacks on Israel. What is the logical conclusion from the renewed tensions between Turkey and Israel? Erdogan has not changed and never will. On occasion he will fire from the hip and express those familiar anti-Israel sentiments he harbors so deeply and which he finds so hard to hold inside. Yet we must not judge Erdogan by his words alone, but by his actions. And in actuality, he is facilitating improved economic and commercial ties with Israel and is even re-engaging with it on diplomatic and security issues. Israel's reserved response to Erdogan's comments indicates Jerusalem's aversion to renewed conflict with Turkey. To be sure, what Erdogan thinks or says is less important to Israel than the fact that relations are getting better and that many in Turkey share the Israeli desire to make them stronger. The current storm will soon pass, as there is little more behind it than a temporary mood swing on Erdogan's part. As long as he is president of Turkey, however, the relationship between the two countries will continue to exist in the shadow of these storms.
