Erdogan congratulated Netanyahu on his victory in the Israeli parliamentary elections

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a congratulatory letter to Benjamin Netanyahu for his victory in the November 1 parliamentary elections in Israel, Netanyahu’s office announced today.

Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc and its ultra-Orthodox and far-right allies won a majority in the election (collecting 64 seats out of 120), beating the political camp led by centrist Yair Lapid (54 seats). Former Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to be instructed on Sunday to form a new government.

“I congratulate you on your victory in the elections and I believe that the new government will continue the cooperation between the (two) countries in all fields, in a way that will bring peace and stability to our region,” President Erdogan wrote, according to the announcement of Netanyahu’s office.

Erdogan, an ardent defender of the Palestinian cause, has previously criticized Israeli policies implemented under the Netanyahu administrations (1996-1999 and 2009-2021) towards the Palestinians.

Relations between the two countries deteriorated rapidly in 2010 after a bloody attack by Israeli forces on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which was trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.

But less than a year before Turkish presidential elections scheduled for mid-June 2023, Erdogan is stepping up efforts to normalize relations with several regional powers – including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – in search of investment and tourists. .

Israel and Turkey thus announced in August the full restoration of their bilateral relations and the return of ambassadors to the two countries.

Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.