The Israeli president said he hopes talks with Turkish counterpart Erdogan will lead to positive and advanced diplomatic ties between Israel and Turkey.
President Isaac Herzog’s meeting with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan can start the process of creating positive and advanced diplomatic ties between Israel and Turkey, the president said as he jetted off to Ankara on Wednesday.
Good relations with Turkey are important to Israel and to the entire Middle East, Herzog added, especially as the “world order was shaken” due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We won’t agree on everything,” the president noted, saying relations between Israel and Turkey had some “difficult moments” over the years. Despite that, Herzog stated he is committed to repairing Israel’s ties with its Middle East neighbor through “actions and mutual respect.”
Herzog added that his visit, coordinated with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, can help propel his vision of “Jews, Muslims and Christians living in peace” in the region.
The official state visit, marking a rapprochement between Israel and Turkey after more than a decade of heightened tensions, comes at Erdogan’s invitation and is the first by an Israeli leader since 2008 and a president since 2007.
Herzog and Erdogan are expected to discuss the expansion of Israel-Turkey relations.
Herzog also plans to travel to Istanbul to meet with the Jewish community.
Erdogan called Herzog to congratulate him on his election victory last year, which led to a resumed dialogue between their countries after years of disconnect at the higher levels. They have spoken several times since.
The Turkish president called for improved ties with Israel several times last year, including in December to the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States. Despite his differences with Israel over finding a solution to the conflict with the Palestinians, Erdogan said relations between Turkey and Israel are essential for the security and stability of the region.
Turkey’s change in policy might be related to its declining economy and growing diplomatic isolation, which it has sought to resolve, including through a rapprochement with the United Arab Emirates.
At the same time, Turkey harbors Hamas terrorists, Erdogan has accused Israel of intentionally killing Palestinian children, and state-controlled media outlets have broadcast antisemitic television series.
This week, Yigit Bulutt, Erdogan’s chief adviser, accused Israel and Jewish financier George Soros of provoking the war in Ukraine by encouraging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is also Jewish. Herzog’s office declined to comment on the tweet.
Earlier this year, the Turkish Foreign Ministry criticized Israel for evicting Palestinians who had illegally built their homes and businesses on public land, and Turkey’s Religious Affairs Ministry organized a “symposium meant to raise awareness about conflict in Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque,” among other destabilizing activities in Israel’s capital.
Tensions between Israel and Turkey began in 2008, when then-prime minister Ehud Olmert met with Erdogan and launched Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip days later. They peaked in 2010 when the Erdogan-linked IHH (Humanitarian Relief Foundation) sent the Mavi Marmara ship to bust the IDF’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, arming some of the people aboard. IDF naval commandos stopped the ship, were confronted by IHH members aboard and killed nine of them.
Israel and Turkey maintained diplomatic relations in the aftermath, even reinstalling ambassadors in 2016. But two years later, Ankara expelled Israel’s ambassador over the IDF’s response to rioting on the Gaza border.
During his visit to Nicosia last week and Athens the week before that, Herzog gave assurances that mending fences with Turkey would not affect Israel’s excellent relations with Cyprus and Greece.
Last month, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel was treading cautiously regarding Erdogan’s overtures.
“Things are happening very slowly and gradually,” he said, adding that Herzog’s trip to Ankara was being fully coordinated with him. He praised Herzog’s role in Israel’s international relations.
Tal Spungin contributed to this report.
Content retrieved from: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-700676.