The world will now turn its eyes toward Turkey and learn from it that, unfortunately, this is how you have to deal with Israel.

It’s unclear what exactly Israel will learn from its reconciliation talks with Turkey, though. It’s a fact that even after Israel’s phone apology over its 2010 naval raid of the Mavi Marmara, which resulted in the deaths of nine Turkish citizens, no Israeli official has admitted in full and as required that the raid of the Gaza-bound flotilla involved criminal and unnecessary violence, or that Israel was punished for it and the punishment was effective.

It’s a shame that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn’t make a statement like that to Israelis, bravely and directly. It’s too bad he didn’t tell them that other countries are likely to follow Turkey’s lead and punish Israel for the occupation to make it change its ways.

Turkey showed solidarity with the Palestinians, and that is natural and right. It should be taken for granted that any predominantly Muslim country would do the same. It should be taken for granted that any country would do the same. The Israelis, who take to heart the plight of their Jewish brethren everywhere and raise Cain any time one of them is harmed, should have been the first to recognize this sentiment.

Operation Cast Lead stirred up emotions in Turkey, and that too was understandable and justified. And then nine Turkish citizens were killed, further enraging their country. It should also have enraged the Israeli public. It isn’t hard to imagine what would have happened if the Turkish army had killed nine Israelis.

The Mavi Marmara should have had open access to Gaza. Forcefully taking control of it was not only indecent; it was foolish. But that’s not how Israel treated it.

Instead, Israeli officials talked about the “terrorists” on the ship, their defensive violence in the presence of the naval commandos who tried to take control and the propagandistic talk that if Israel had allowed the flotilla to reach the shores of the Gaza Strip, Israeli security would have been breached.

That was the sin. The punishment was serious for Israel and Israelis, who were deprived of their vacations while their only ally in the region turned into an enemy. Had Israel acted rationally, it would have done a good job of preserving its ties with Ankara. Israel needs Turkey more than the rising and economically thriving regional power needs Israel. That’s the truth; it’s better to admit it.

Had Israel behaved with common sense and justness, it would not have taken over the Mavi Marmara, or would at least have apologized right away for killing its passengers in vain. But Israel once again proved that it understands nothing but force. It took three years of punishment for Turkey to get an apology that Israel should have made immediately.

But that milk has already been spilled. All that’s left is the lesson that when Israel is punished and pays a price, it does learn, albeit the unnecessarily hard way. The impression is that there’s no other way to treat this country, and that’s a bad message for Israel. Ties with Turkey can and should be restored.

The Turkish television broadcasters who interviewed me the day after the apology wanted to know just one thing: Are Israelis happy about it? I replied that at precisely that moment Israel’s national soccer team was playing Portugal, and that Israelis were much busier with that. One could sense disappointment on the other side. Over there, they were expecting genuine change.

That change may yet arrive. Anyone who travels to Turkey, where Israelis have been persuaded over the past three years that it was dangerous to go, will discover that there is still a longing for a return to the days of friendship. Many Turks want to go back to the old days, despite the bad blood.

Now it’s time for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to temper his harsh statements against Israel. He can learn from his friend, U.S. President Barack Obama, how to send critical messages while staying friends with Israel.

Perhaps Israel has, after all, learned something from its punishment at Turkey’s hands. Indeed, the world shouldn’t think that the only way to speak to Israel about justice is to punish it.

The job of maintaining Israel’s international standing is now placed squarely on the shoulders of every Israeli citizen. Every Israeli should know that another Cast Lead or Mavi Marmara could lead to a counter-move by the other side. Every Israeli should know that the country’s violence is the true cause of its defiled honor.