Multiple reports and investigations have come to the same conclusion: Israel is the primary buyer of ISIS oil, much of which is delivered via Turkey. No wonder Erdogan says the two countries 'need each other'.

In geopolitical terms, the conflict in Syria has been tremendously beneficial for Israel. Already occupying the Syrian Golan, Israel could use the successful destruction of the Syrian state as a pretext to seek further territorial gains in the Levant (under the guise of national security) -- or at the very least, to forever secure its (illegitimate) claim to the Golan.

And then there's all that delicious ISIS oil flowing into Israel. Multiple reports and investigations say the same thing: Whether knowingly or not, Israel is ISIS' top oil customer. Even the Financial Times concedes that Israel receives huge quantities of oil via Turkey's port of Ceyhan, which FT describes as a “potential gateway for ISIS-smuggled crude."

Smuggling oil is pointless without a buyer...

Which brings us to a rather revelatory statement made by Turkey's Erdogan. As the Hurriyet Daily News reported yesterday:

Turkey and Israel are two countries in the Middle East that need each other, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.



“Israel is in need of a country like Turkey in the region. We have to admit that we also need Israel,” Erdoğan said on his return from an official trip to Saudi Arabia.



Speaking to a group of journalists aboard the presidential plane returning to Turkey from Riyadh, where he met with Saudi King Salman bin Abdülaziz al-Saud, Erdoğan said the mutual need “is a fact of the region.”

Of course, Erdogan is not referring to mutual ISIS oil profiteering. Instead, he wants us to believe that both Turkey and Israel are deeply concerned about ISIS. The fact that he made these remarks after returning from Saudi Arabia, one of the main backers of Takfiri terrorism, is just icing on the cake.

Turkey and Israel certainly do need each other. Is anyone brave enough to say why, though?

By the way, can someone please explain why, despite sharing a border with Syria (and Egypt, for that matter), Israel has yet to receive even a loose Scud missile from ISIS or any of its affiliates?

Resource wars are fun.