2 yıl önce

Erdogan in call with Netanyahu: Türkiye-Israel relations enter new era

Israel's Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu telephones Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to express his condolences over Sunday's Istanbul terrorist attack.

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President Erdogan thanked Netanyahu for calling for condolences and expressed that they were also upset by the incident that took place in the West Bank two days ago.

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Israel's Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call that it is important to maintain relations on a basis of respect for mutual interests, the Turkish presidency said.

Highlighting the beginning of a new era in the Türkiye-Israel relations thanks to the strong will displayed by both sides, Erdogan on Thursday said: "It was in the shared interest of Türkiye and Israel to maintain the relations by respecting sensitivities on the basis of mutual interests, and to strengthen them on a sustainable basis."

He wished the election results in Israel to be beneficial for the country and the region.

Erdogan told Netanyahu he was saddened by "events two days ago in the West Bank", the presidency said on Thursday.

Three Israelis were killed in a stabbing attack in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, hours before Israel swore in lawmakers set to return Netanyahu to power.

Netanyahu offered his condolences for those who died in a bomb attack in Istanbul on Sunday.

Netanyahu, who won an election this month, said that Türkiye's mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine are "important for the world."

"The two leaders agreed to work together to create a new era in relations between Türkiye and Israel," Netanyahu's Likud Party said in a statement, adding that they discussed how to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties.

Thaw in relations

The call comes amid a thaw in long-strained ties between Türkiye and Israel. Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited Ankara this year in the first visit to Türkiye by an Israeli leader since 2008.

Relations between Israel and Türkiye have been strained for more than a decade, with Ankara having expelled Israel's ambassador following a 2010 Israeli raid on an aid ship to Gaza, which killed ten Turkish citizens.

Diplomatic relations were restored in 2016, but two years later Türkiye recalled its diplomats from Israel and expelled Israeli envoys when Israeli forces killed a number of Palestinians who had taken part in protests in Gaza .

The two countries mutually appointed ambassadors this year.