Previously tight relations between Israel and Turkey were significantly downgraded in 2010, when an Israeli raid killed 10 Turkish activists on an aid flotilla that sought to run the blockade on the Gaza Strip.

The about-turn came amid a drastic worsening of ties between Turkey and Russia, following Ankara's downing of a Russian warplane over Syria in November last year. The incident wrecked several joint cooperation projects between the two countries.

Israel was also motivated to find new allies in the region, in part due to a need for export partners for its natural gas. Israel has also found itself under increasing pressure over the lack of progress on peace efforts with Palestine. It is seeking to build relationships with regional countries to counter such criticism.