September 7, 2011: Last week Turkey announced the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to Turkey for Israel's refusal to apologize for the armed interdiction in May 2010 of the delivery of relief goods to Gaza via a naval flotilla sponsored by a Turkish organization. Eight Turkish citizens and one American citizen of Turkish origin died on May 31, 2010 when Israeli naval commandos boarded six ships attempting to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza. Erdogan is said to be considering increasing Turkish naval patrols in the eastern Mediterranean and even dispatching Turkish vessels to protect any future naval aid transports to Gaza.

In the aftermath of the diplomatic row Turkish prime minister Recep Erdogan turned up the heat with a statement regarding the future of Turkish-Israeli relations: "Trade ties, military ties, regarding defense industry ties, we are completely suspending them." Later Erdogan's spokesman clarified his declaration by saying that the prime minister had only the exchange of military goods in mind, not general trade and commerce between the two countries.

Considering that the establishment of a close ties with Ankara was a major achievement of Israeli foreign policy over the last 15 years, these recent developments highlight the damage that has been done to the Turkish-Israeli relationship.

As I reported earlier this year, Erdogan has a vision for Turkey and the Arab world. It appears that Israel might be Erdogan's sacrificial lamb in pursuit of his grand design. According to Shmuel Bar of the Israeli Inter-Disciplinary Center, "Erdogan is trying to enhance his status in the region by expressing animosity towards Israel, feeling like he has a lot of backing within Turkey for that." According to Bar, Erdogan wants to fill the vacuum left in the region by the departure or overthrow of older leaders like Egypt's Hosni Mubarek.

Adding to Israel's concerns, Erdogan also announced that he plans to form a strategic military and economic alliance with Egypt. Erdogan's visit to Egypt would be the first by a Turkish prime minister in 15 years. During the Mubarek era, Turkey was viewed as a potential rival.

According to Turkish news medias, Erdogan plans to travel to Egypt next week and then visit Gaza from there. Erdogan also announced his country's intention to support the Palestinian bid to be admitted as a member of the United Nations, a plan opposed by both Israel and the United States.