The Turkish president wants to bring ties to a ‘better point’ but says Israel’s policy towards Palestinians is ‘inappropriate’.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey would like to have better ties with Israel and that talks at intelligence level are ongoing between the two sides, but it is also on Israeli policy towards To criticize Palestinians as “inappropriate”.
Speaking to reporters after Friday’s prayers in Istanbul, Erdogan said Turkey had issues with “top people” in Israel and that ties could have been “very different.” ”If it weren’t for those issues.
Palestinian policy is our red line. It is impossible for us to accept Israeli Palestinian policies. His merciful actions there are inappropriate, ”said Erdogan.
“If things weren’t at the highest level, our connections could be very different,” he said. “We want to take our connections to a better level.”
Turkey was the first Muslim-majority country to be recognized by Israel in 1949. They had warm ties and strong trade ties until Erdogan rose to power.
In the past few years, Ankara has repeatedly criticized Israel’s ownership of the West Bank and its handling of Palestinians.
Turkey first broke diplomatic ties with Israel in 2010 after 10 pro-Palestinian Turkish militants were killed by Israeli commanders who boarded a Turkish-owned flotilla trying to deliver aid and break- Israeli marines in Gaza.
The Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip has been in place since June 2007, when Israel suspended air, sea and air territory in the region.
They restored connections in 2016, but the friendship reappeared in 2018.
In May of that year, Ankara withdrew its ambassador over deadly attacks on Palestinians in the siege of Gaza protesting against U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to move the embassy of the United States from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have often expressed angry views, but the two countries are still trading with each other.
In August this year, Israel accused Turkey of issuing passports to a dozen Hamas members in Istanbul, describing the move as a “very friendly step” taken by its government with officials. Turkish.
Hamas captured the Gaza Strip under siege from forces loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007. Since then, Israel has significantly strengthened its siege and launched three protracted arms attacks. on Gaza.
Turkey says Hamas is a democratically elected legitimate political movement.
Despite Erdogan’s stance on Israeli policy in Palestine, there have been reports that Ankara has appointed a new ambassador to Israel after a two-year absence.
Earlier this month, a report by Al-Monitor said the move to hire Ufuk Ulutas, 40, as the new Turkish ambassador is part of an effort to develop ties with the incoming administration of President Joe Biden. into the US.
His appointment came as several Arab countries – Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates – agreed to normalize diplomatic ties with Israel in treaties that Trump broke.