diplomacy
Israel and Turkey want to restore ties
“Restarting ties with Turkey is a major win for regional stability”: Jair Lapid. photo
© Maya Alleruzzo/AP/dpa
The relationship between the two Mediterranean countries has been strained for more than a decade. After a cautious rapprochement, ambassadors are to be exchanged again.
After years of tension, Israel and Turkey want to fully resume diplomatic relations. Both countries have decided to reinstate ambassadors and consuls-general, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Jair Lapid said. This is the result of Lapid’s visit to Ankara in June and talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey confirmed the decision.
“The resumption of relations with Turkey is a major win for regional stability and important economic news for Israeli citizens,” Lapid said. Israel’s position will continue to be strengthened worldwide.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in the capital Ankara: “The reappointment of ambassadors is important for improving bilateral relations. At the same time, we will continue to fight for the rights of Palestine, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.”
The Israeli side said the restoration of full diplomatic relations was the continuation of a rapprochement process over the past year. This began with a visit by President Izchak Herzog to Ankara and then continued with mutual visits by foreign ministers to Jerusalem and Ankara.
Erdogan called Israel a “country of child killers”
The once close allies Turkey and Israel fell out in 2010 after ten Turkish citizens were killed when the Israeli navy stormed a Gaza solidarity ship. In 2016 there was a first rapprochement. However, since the Gaza crisis in 2018, which escalated around the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem, the two countries have had no ambassadors in each other’s countries.
In the past, Erdogan had always clearly sided with the Palestinian people. Especially between Erdogan and the former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, there have been repeated scandals over the years. Among other things, Erdogan had accused Israel of a “genocide” in the Gaza Strip and described it as a “land of child murderers”. Netanyahu countered in 2019 that Erdogan was slaughtering Kurds.
In May, Herzog was the first Israeli president to travel to Turkey in ten years. In July, both sides signed an aviation agreement. In early August, Israel reopened a business mission in Istanbul.
Herzog welcomed the resumption of full diplomatic relations as an “important development”. According to his office, this will lead to closer economic ties, mutual tourism and friendship between the two peoples. “Good neighborly relations and a spirit of partnership in the Middle East are important to all of us,” said Herzog. “Members of all faiths – Muslims, Jews and Christians – can and must live together in peace.”