Erdogan expresses regret to Netanyahu for ‘events that happened two days ago in West Bank’ – Netanyahu expresses condolences to those who lost their lives in Istanbul bombing
The Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the former prime minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, who won Israel’s presidential election this month, that is important to maintain bilateral relations on the basis of respect for mutual intereststhe Turkish presidency announced today.
In a telephone conversation between the two leaders, Erdogan expressed to Netanyahu his regret for the “events that happened two days ago in the West Bank.” For his part, Netanyahu expressed his condolences for those who lost their lives in the bomb attack in Istanbul on Sunday, the Turkish announcement underlines.
“The two leaders agreed to work together to create a new era in the relations between Turkey and Israel”, Netanyahu’s Likud party said in a statement, adding that the two men discussed how to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties.
The phone conversation comes amid a rewarming of relations between the two countries after years of tensions. Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited Ankara this year in the first visit by an Israeli leader to Turkey since 2008.
Relations between Israel and Turkey have been strained for more than a decadewith Ankara having expelled the Israeli ambassador following a 2010 Israeli raid on a ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, which left ten Turkish citizens dead.
Diplomatic relations were restored in 2016, but two years later Turkey recalled its diplomats from Israel and expelled Israeli envoys after Israeli forces killed Palestinians who had taken part in protests in the Gaza Strip.
The two countries nominated each other’s ambassadors this year.
On Tuesday, a Palestinian killed three Israelis near a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank and was hailed as a hero by Islamist militants, hours before the swearing-in of Israeli lawmakers in the Knesset, expected to re-elect Netanyahu as prime minister with the support of a far-right coalition.
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
