Special to WorldTribune.com

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan surprised Israel on Dec. 14 by saying Ankara has much to gain from “normalization” of relations with Jerusalem.

Erdogan has been a harsh critic of Israel and even voiced support for Arab terrorism in the Jewish state. His motive for “normalizing” ties is likely Israel’s vast reserves of natural gas.

Turkey currently imports more than 50 percent of its natural gas from Russia. But Moscow slapped sanctions on Ankara after the recent downing of a Russian Su-24 warplane by Turkish F-16s.

“I have no doubt that the Turkish president’s declaration regarding his desire to improve relations with Israel stems, among other things, from the advancement in recent months of the gas deal, and from the recognition of countries in the region that in a few years it will be possible to obtain natural gas from the reserves Israel will develop,” Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said on Dec. 14.

Steinitz said other nations who have long viewed Israel with animosity are now interested in purchasing natural gas from the Jewish state.

“Alongside the signs and messages received in the last few months from countries in the region, this is an additional example of the positive contributions of the gas resources to Israel’s diplomatic standing,” Steinitz said.

Foreign Ministry director-general Dore Gold said of Erdogan’s comments that “Israel has always desired stable relations with Turkey, and is constantly examining ways to reach that.”

  Russian sanctions, Surprising shift to Israel by Turkey’s Erdogan tied to natural gas reservesSurprising shift to Israel by Turkey’s Erdogan tied to natural gas reserves, WorldTribune.com, Yuval Steinitz