World News | Will the restoration of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Israel last this time?

John Solomu

Nicosia [Cyprus] August 22 (ANI): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid agreed in a phone call last Wednesday diplomatic relations between the two countries suspended since 2010 and reinstate its ambassador.

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The big question raised is whether normal relations between the two countries will last long this time around, and whether Erdogan will avoid insulting the Israeli government in one of the frequent clashes between Israelis and Palestinians. sexual remarks.

In a statement, Yar Rapid described the restoration of ties with Turkey as “a vital asset to the stability of the region and of great economic importance to the citizens of Israel,” while Israeli President Isaac Herzog It described the restoration of diplomatic relations with Turkey as “an important development.”

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A full normalization of relations could end 12 years of tension between Ankara and Tel Aviv, and Turkey and Israel could become friendly again, as Erdogan decided in 2010 to cast himself as Palestinian and Arab The staunch defenders of the same reason as before.

It is worth noting, however, that in a statement announcing the resumption of relations between the two countries, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevrut Cavusoglu specifically assured the Palestinians that Turkey will continue to “defend the rights of Palestine, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip,” stressing Ankara’s message will be communicated directly to Tel Aviv at the ambassadorial level. “

The restoration of diplomatic ties was made possible after the Turkish government expelled officials and members of the Hamas Islamic resistance movement that rules the Gaza Strip and told them that military activities on Turkish soil were not allowed, according to several news reports.

On May 31, 2010, nine Turkish militants were killed and many injured by Israeli forces on board Mavi Marmara, six ships carrying 10 tons of aid and more than 650 militants from 37 countries One of the “Freedom Fleet”. The fleet tries to break through the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

The Israeli attack took place in the international waters of the Mediterranean about 130 kilometers off the coast of Israel. Erdogan, who was Turkey’s prime minister at the time, described the raid as “state terrorism” and called for Israel to be punished for its “bloody carnage.”

Turkey withdrew its ambassador from Tel Aviv and expelled Israel’s ambassador to Ankara.

Erdogan, who later became Turkey’s president, has repeatedly made offensive remarks against Israel, saying, for example, after Israel’s operations in Gaza, “Israel keeps Hitler’s spirit alive”.

In December 2029, Erdogan accused Israel of “publicly executing and mercilessly killing innocent girls, fathers, mothers, old people, children and young people in the streets of Palestine”.

In March 2013, following the intervention of U.S. President Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Erdogan and apologized for “any mistake that resulted in the loss of life” and agreed to compensate the victims By. The two countries agreed in June 2016 to normalize relations.

Relations between the two countries slowly improved after the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved its embassy to Jerusalem, but broke down again in 2018.

Ankara, outraged by the embassy’s move and the killing of 60 Palestinians and the wounding of another 1,200 in clashes that erupted in May 2018, expelled the Israeli ambassador, prompting an Israeli response.

Erdogan accused Israel of carrying out “genocide” and behaving like a “terrorist state”.

In response, Benjamin Netanyahu described Erdogan as one of Hamas’ biggest supporters, adding that he could not preach morality to Israel.

Erdogan called Israel “an apartheid state that has occupied the land of unarmed people for over 60 years”, adding that “Netanyahu has Palestinian blood on his hands and should not cover up his crimes by attacking Turkey. “

Diplomatic relations between the two countries remain frozen, but as Turkey’s economic situation continues to deteriorate, Erdogan has changed his foreign policy and, instead of publicly challenging his neighbors and others, has decided to repair relations with his former adversary. So he tried to improve relations with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Israel.

At the invitation of President Erdogan, Israeli President Isaac Herzog paid a state visit to Turkey from March 9 to 10, marking the thawing of relations between Israel and Turkey.

Three months later, the two countries worked together to foil a planned Iranian attack on Israeli tourists traveling to Turkey in retaliation for a series of Israeli attacks on Iranian targets.

Ankara later restricted Hamas’ activities in Turkey, allowing only political activities. However, the Israeli government has called for the closure of the Hamas office, which it sees as the epicenter of a terrorist attack directed at Israel.

In an interview with The Times of Israel, Israel’s Charge d’Affaires in Ankara, Irith Lillian, said of the normalization of relations between the two countries:

“From the beginning, it was clear that we were building a process where we agreed to disagree. We knew we were not going to get into a perfect marriage.”

Lillian added that the two sides are developing a “conflict resolution mechanism” that will help them resolve their almost inevitable differences. “We want to do what we can to build a structure that can withstand political earthquakes in the future,” she added.

The concern among Israeli politicians is whether President Erdogan will change his views on Turkey-Israel relations in the coming months. They fear that Erdogan could once again accuse Israel of killing innocent children in a new conflict between the Palestinians and Israeli forces, and that relations between the two countries will freeze again despite the exchange of ambassadors.

On August 8, while the process of restoring diplomatic relations was well underway, Erdogan said in a speech to foreign ambassadors: “There is no justification for killing children and swaddling babies. Turkey supports the Palestinian people and their Gaza brothers. .” (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from the Syndicated News feed, the body of the content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)