Israel and Turkey announced on Wednesday (17) the re-establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations and the relocation of officials in their respective embassies, four years after the withdrawal of diplomatic corps from their territories.
In 2018, the murder of 60 Palestinians protesting in Gaza against the installation of a US embassy in Israel angered Turkish diplomacy and sparked the expulsion of consular members – both Israelis in Ankara and Turks in Tel Aviv. For this reason, the intention to reestablish the activity of embassies is a landmark in the countries’ diplomacy.
The restoration of diplomatic ties was agreed after talks between Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. For Erdogan, the turning point in bilateral “relationships” was the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to his country in March.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also made a very significant gesture in May, when he became the first Turkish foreign minister to travel to Israel in the last 15 years. He points out, however, that Ankara will continue “defending the rights of the Palestinians, Jerusalem and Gaza”.
Israel has been improving ties with regional powers since 2020, when it joined forces to sign the Abraham Agreement — a treaty that sealed peace between the country and the United Arab Emirates. Turkey has also been developing its diplomacy, but the Israeli occupation of the West Bank remains at the heart of the unrest between the Turks and Israelis. Erdogan has strong connections with Islam and is not expected to give up his support for Gaza.
Hamas, the Palestinian armed group that Tel Aviv considers terrorist, sees the rapprochement as legitimizing the Israeli presence in the region. The movement’s head, Basem Naim, told AFP that he hopes “all Arab, Muslim and friendly countries will isolate the occupier and put pressure on him to respond to the legitimate rights of Palestinians.”
With energy supplies becoming a crucial factor for international cooperation, Turkey and Israel are expected to seek more lasting agreements, even as more conflict between Palestinians and Israelis looms.
