I read an interesting analysis of the situation in the middle east and the various roles of countries within that territory. A lot of the following are quotes from his analysis. I have not bothered to put quote marks in though.
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/ar...on-turkey?bn=1
Three new regional players – Turkey, Iran and the oil- and gas-rich states of the Persian Gulf are the new key players. Iran and Turkey are not arab states and that plays a significant role according to the reporter analysist states.
One aspect that posters are not discussing with much detail is the role of Turkey. Turkey has and still is an ally of Israel. Israel killed Turkish citizens with this blockade. Turkey has the second largest military among NATO nations. The only NATO nation with a larger military is the USA. Turkey is a democracy. Turkey's economy has bounced back quicker than some other countries. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has identified Turkey as among the rising powers the U.S. wants to do business with.
The PM of Turkey presently sits on the UN Security Council and has been acting independently of its allies , the USA and Israel. Along with Brazil Turkey came up with a compromise*over the Iranian nuclear dilemma, only to be rejected by Washington, which opted for a fourth round of economic sanctions.
Turkey's PM , Erdogan, has stated “Peace and stability will not come to the region as long as the blockade of Gaza persists,” a blockade that Israel has just agreed to ease under international pressure. He has also tried to play the mediator between Israel and Syria; Israel and Hamas; Georgia and Russia; Iraq and Syria; Americans and the Iraqi insurgents; Lebanon and Syria, and the various factions within Lebanon; and the warring factions in Somalia as well as Yemen.
The domestic battle in Turkey is not between secularists and Islamists, as portrayed, but between democrats and autocrats.
"The birth of the new Turkey has been welcomed by Arabs. “Turkey has become an asset to the whole region and that constitutes a stabilizing factor in the Arab world,” Abdullah Khaliq Abdullah, professor of political science at the Emirates University, Dubai, told me. “Turkey is welcome in all Arab capitals, whereas Iran is in two or three.”
Israel can not afford to lose Turkey as an ally. Turkey may succeed in breaking this blockade of Gaza. It seems that Turkey is not about to abandon Gaza.