Ambassadors to be traded after ties soured following Israel’s crackdown on the 2018 Great March of Return protests in Gaza
By MEE staff
Israel and Turkey are restoring full diplomatic relations, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid announced in a statement on Wednesday. The two countries will now trade ambassadors.
The decision comes after Lapid’s visit to Ankara and his meetings with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, and his conversation with President Recep Tayyib Erdogan.
“In light of the positive developments in Israel-Turkey relations over the past year, the two countries decided to return to full diplomatic representation,” the statement said.
“The renewal of relations with Turkey is an important asset for regional stability and a very important economic asset for the citizens of Israel. We will continue to act and strengthen Israel’s international status in the world,” Lapid added.
Cavusoglu confirmed the news and said Turkey will continue to defend Palestinian rights and the status of Jerusalem through its ambassador in Tel Aviv.
He said now they will choose someone to be appointed as ambassador.
Israeli foreign ministry official Alon Oshfiz spoke with the Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sadat Unal on Tuesday and “the two concluded the matter”, the statement said.
The officials decided to raise the level of relations between the two countries to full diplomatic representation and to return the ambassadors and consuls general.
The development comes four months after Israel‘s President Isaac Herzog visited Erdogan in Ankara, in the first visit by an Israeli head of state to Turkey since 2008.
Relations between the two sides have been tense since 2018, when Israeli forces killed dozens of Palestinians taking part in the Great March of Return protests in Gaza, as the protesters demanded the implementation of refugees’ right of return and an end to the crippling 11-year siege on Gaza.
Turkey recalled all of its diplomats and ordered Israel’s envoy out of the country.
Middle East Eye