Israel, Turkey Restore Full Diplomatic Ties

Turkey was among the first Muslim-majority countries to recognize Israel, but relations between the two gradually deteriorated. This happened amid Turkish criticism of Israel's policies towards the Palestinians and accusations of committing crimes against humanity.

Israel and Turkey have decided to raise the level of relations between the two countries and restore full diplomatic ties following talks between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Tel Aviv has stated. The two states agreed to mutually return their ambassadors and consuls general.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has confirmed the two countries are restoring their ties to the state prior to the major diplomatic spat in 2010 that prompted Tel Aviv and Ankara to recall their ambassadors and consuls general.

"A decision has been made to appoint an ambassador in Israel, and the Israeli side has also given a positive response in this regard," the Turkish foreign minister said during a press conference, adding that the candidacy will be presented to the Israeli president soon.

The foreign minister added that the decision to upgrade the level of diplomatic ties with Israel does not mean Ankara "gave up on Palestinian cause" – referring to Turkey's opposition to Israel's policies towards the Palestinians. The latter has often been a source of tension between the two states during the past decade.

Cavusoglu announced efforts to restore the high level of diplomatic relations with Israel on June 23 following a meeting with his Israeli counterpart, then-Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. The latter thanked Ankara during the meeting with Cavusoglu for thwarting terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens living in or visiting Turkey.

"The lives of Israeli citizens have been saved thanks to the security and diplomatic cooperation between Israel and Turkey," Lapid said during his June 23 visit to Turkey.

Turkey initiated the reduction of diplomatic ties with Israel in September 2011, following a 2010 incident on the Mavi Marmara ferry. In 2010, Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara, which was sailing under a Turkish flag, as part of an operation to stop the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla," which was trying to break Israel’s maritime blockade and reach the Gaza Strip. The commandos killed nine, including eight Turkish nationals, during the raid, infuriating Ankara.

Ankara demanded an apology, but Tel Aviv refused to give one. In the following years, Turkey repeatedly condemned Israel's actions against the Palestinian people and accused the country of committing crimes against humanity as their bilateral ties continued to deteriorate. In 2018, following the US recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, Turkey accused Tel Aviv for acting like a "terrorist state" and expelled its ambassador. Israel responded in kind, expelling the Turkish envoy.