Coffee Break – U.S.-Israel-Turkey Relations

From 1945, when Turkey entered World War II aligned with the Allies, relations between the U.S. and the Republic of Turkey were friendly. In 1947, due to difficulties repressing a communist rebellion in Greece and the Soviet Union’s demands for military bases in the Turkish Straits, the U.S. declared the Truman Doctrine. In that document, the U.S. delineated its intentions to ensure Greece and Turkey’s security which resulted in significant military and economic support from the U.S. to both countries.

In 1949, Turkey was the first Muslim-majority country to recognize the State of Israel, formalizing a relationship between the two nations. For several decades, Turkey and Israel maintained close cooperation and created plans for continued partnership in technology and water-sharing.

But the relationship between these three countries began to deteriorate at the start of the 21^st century.