Tensions between Israel and Turkey are easing. The two countries announced on Wednesday August 17 the full restoration of their diplomatic relations. “It was decided to raise the level of ties between the two countries to full diplomatic relations and to return the ambassadors and consuls general to the two countries”said Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid.
Bilateral relations between Israel and Ankara were strained in 2010 with the Mavi Marmara affair, when Israeli forces launched a deadly assault on this Turkish ship trying to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip. The two countries then recalled their ambassadors in 2018 after the deaths of Palestinian protesters in Gaza.
“An important asset for regional stability”
“The restoration of relations with Turkey is an important asset for regional stability and very important economic news for the citizens of Israel”, added the Israeli Prime Minister. In Ankara, the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlüt Cavusoglu, however specified in the process that Turkey “would not abandon the Palestinian cause”.
Israel and Turkey have recently welcomed a turning point in their relations, with in particular the visit of President Isaac Herzog in March to Turkey, the first of an Israeli head of state since 2007 in this country. The head of Turkish diplomacy, Mevlüt Cavusoglu, meanwhile made a rare visit to Jerusalem at the end of May as part of this diplomatic thaw.