Turkey was the first Muslim majority country to recognize Israel and normalize relations with the Jewish state in 1949. However, their relations have faced ups and downs throughout history. Attacks against Palestine by Israeli defense forces resulted in the deterioration of relations. Turkey removed its ambassador in 2018 from Israel and appointed an envoy again in 2020.
However, relations are seeming to improve again as the Turkish president confirms the expected visit of the Israeli counterpart in February 2022. An Israeli official told that any kind of offer from a powerful and important Muslim country leaves no option for us except to give a positive answer.
Erdogan defended his stance to improve relations by saying “If we are policymaking, this cannot be with a fight or quarrel. We have to maintain the policy within the line of peace.” He confirmed that Israeli president Isaac Herzog and prime minister Naftali Bennett are also communicating with Turkish officials at different levels.
Turkey and Israel agreed to export Israeli gas to Europe in 2016 and Turkey is still interested to fulfill that commitment. Both states seek to normalize relations despite mutual concerns.
Author: Abu Huraira Arain