Israel and Turkey agreed to resume full diplomatic ties in a phone call between the countries’ leaders, ending a long period of tensions.
“The resumption of relations with Turkey is an important asset for regional stability and very important economic news for the citizens of Israel,” Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said Wednesday in a text message to reporters. Ambassadors will return to the two capitals for the first time since 2018, Israel said.
Relations began to thaw earlier this year, spurred on by a visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Turkey. The two countries followed that up in May by pledging to restart negotiations on direct flights by Israeli airlines after landmark talks between their foreign ministers. Turkey’s top diplomat, Mevlut Cavusoglu, became the first Turkish foreign minister to visit Israel in 15 years.
Close links between the eastern Mediterranean neighbors had frayed starting in 2003 as now President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took power.
Relations nosedived after 2010, when a Turkish flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip was raided by Israeli commandos, resulting in the deaths of 10 civilians. Turkey has been critical of Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians while Israel has charged Turkey of supporting Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules the Gaza Strip.
Turkey though has sought to reset its ties with Israel and the Arab world, including Saudi Arabia, in recent months as it looks to bolster a floundering economy that threatens to erode support for Erdogan ahead of elections next year. The diplomacy is also part of a broader realignment that’s seen regional rivals heal rifts and step back from conflicts since US President Joe Biden took office.
Herzog commended the renewal of ties, saying that “good neighborly relations and the spirit of partnership in the Middle East are important for us all. Members of all faiths — Muslims, Jews, and Christians — can and must live together in peace.”
According to Israel’s Foreign Trade Administration, mutual trade of goods and business services between Israel and Turkey stood at $7.7 billion in 2021.
Bloomberg