THERE was no warmth to the announcements of a rapprochement between Israel and Turkey this week. The two governments have spent the past three years of a six-year period of tension negotiating the deal that restores full diplomatic relations. But when it was finally agreed, prime ministers Binyamin Netanyahu and Binali Yildarim gave separate press conferences. There was no festive summit, just a recognition by two regional powers that they cannot afford to remain at loggerheads during such a volatile period.

Israel agreed three years ago to apologise and to pay compensation for an incident in May 2010, when Israeli naval commandos intercepted a flotilla of boats that was attempting to reach Gaza. It resulted in the deaths of ten Turkish pro-Palestinian activists. (The Israeli commandos were attacked with metal pipes before they started shooting.) Talks then bogged down over each side’s additional demands. The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, eager to present himself as the protector of the Palestinian people, demanded that Israel lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip. Israel insisted that the Turkish government close down a Hamas headquarters in Istanbul which Israeli intelligence officials claim has been used to direct terror operations within Israel.

In the end, both sides were forced to give up most of their demands. The blockade of Gaza remains, though Turkey will be allowed to carry out various building programmes in the beleaguered strip. Hamas offices in Istanbul will remain open and Israel will have to make do with Turkey’s assurances that they will only be allowed to engage in “political” activities.

The agreement will not bring Gaza much immediate relief. Aid supplies and building materials from Turkey will have to go through the port of Ashdod, subject to Israeli inspection. Turkey has ambitious plans to erect a new power station and desalination plant. These will be useful to the 1.8m people of Gaza, currently suffering daily electricity outages, and will supply much-needed jobs. However, these plants need constant maintenance and supplies, hard to ensure at a location which has seen air strikes from Israel on average every couple of months over the past decade. Another obstacle is division among the Palestinians: the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority refuses to co-operate with its rivals Hamas, who rule Gaza.

Although the two governments will appoint ambassadors immediately following the agreement’s ratification, it is premature to hope that Israel and Turkey will once again be the close allies they were for decades. There is still much lingering suspicion—Israel’s security establishment is wary of ties built up in recent years between Erdogan loyalists placed at the head of Turkey’s intelligence services, and Iranian officials. “It is hard to see how we can resume the level of relationship we once had while Erdogan is still at the top of the pyramid,” said one senior Israeli officer recently. In the past the armed forces of both countries have carried out joint exercises, while Israel used Turkey’s territory for surveillance and intelligence operations against Syria and Iran. That is not on the cards any time soon.