"The remarkable lack of consistency in Turkey's foreign policy towards Israel, under different Turkish governments, has given their relationship a pervasive sense of unpredictability. This book examines Turkey's relations with Israel since 1948 when the state of Israel was established and up until 2010. It analyses the evolution of these relations and seeks to place them within the wider framework of Turkey's foreign policy. Combining empirical-analytical evidence with role theory insights, as developed in Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA), the study draws from archival material and over fifty interviews with Turkish, Israeli, American and Arab officials. It explores Turkish foreign policy makers' perceptions regarding the proper role and function of the country in the international system and the sub-system of the Middle East and how they affected the policy towards Israel. The author places Ankara's policy into a larger analytical framework, which helps link the past to the present and future. She argues that Turkey's multiple and often contradictory national role conceptions can explain its ambivalent policy towards Israel for over sixty years. Turkey's Relations With Israel is essential reading for students and scholars interested in understanding Turkey's foreign policy in general and towards the Middle East particular"-- Provided by publisher.