WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM THE NEOCON IN CHIEF...:

Netanyahu apologized to Erdogan in a 2013 phone call brokered by President Barack Obama, who was wrapping up a visit to Israel at the time. In December 2015, the sides entered talks aimed at restoring full diplomatic relations, and last week a delegation from the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations met with Erdogan.

The negotiations followed a bad year for Turkey. Syria's civil war has thrown the country into crisis, exacerbating its conflict with Kurds at home and leading some to accuse Turkey of supporting the ISIS terror organization, which is fighting Kurdish forces in Iraq. Turkey also has taken in some 2 million Syrian refugees fleeing the war in Syria.

Turkey is also facing tensions with Egypt over Turkish support for Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, now outlawed in Egypt, and tensions with Russia following Turkey's downing of a Russian plane in November. Restoring ties with Israel could give Erdogan a rare regional win.

"The regional challenges Turkey has with Russia, from Egypt, with the Kurds," said Alon Liel, Israel's charge d'affaires in Turkey in the 1980s, is giving Turkey "second thoughts about the Israel issue."

Israel wouldn't mind strengthening ties with one of its few Middle Eastern trading partners. Patching the Turkey relationship also would reopen the door to military exercises with NATO.

But Israel's main motivation isn't about war and peace, experts say; it's economic. For months, Netanyahu has been pushing to enact a controversial program that would allow drilling in Israel's giant offshore gas fields, which the prime minister says is essential for the national security of Israel. A deal with Turkey could both restore it as an ally and make it a large buyer of Israeli natural gas. That would be a boon for Netanyahu - and a potential bonanza for the gas companies.

Tweet   @brothersjudd