Israeli visit another sign of thaw with Turkey

"With so many common concerns, both Turkey and Israel are eager to keep their relationships with Washington strong. "There are huge interests here. The United States is a major player in this and it wants its allies to cooperate with it on first and foremost on Iran ... and Syria," senior Israeli defense official Amos Gilad told Israel Radio last month. The prospect of a rapprochement has also piqued the interest of energy investors, who see potential for a radical change in the geopolitics of the eastern Mediterranean, allowing newly-discovered Israeli gas to be pumped to energy-hungry Turkey and on to other markets, undermining Russia's supply dominance. "Everything depends on our ties with Israel," said a senior Turkish official, asking not to be named."