Israel and Turkey reestablish full diplomatic ties after years of tension

Israel and Turkey today announced the reestablishment of full diplomatic relations and the exchange of ambassadors, marking the latest chapter in a rapprochement process that began in 2021 and ends several years of tense relations. After more than four years since the withdrawal of their respective ambassadors in 2018, and in the context of the incessant ups and downs that have characterized the relationship in the last decade, the announcement of the reestablishment of full diplomatic relations marks a new turning point in ties. between Israel and Turkey. The decision was announced on Wednesday by the acting Israeli Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, and confirmed almost simultaneously by the Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavusoglu. According to the Israeli government, the final agreement was sealed last night during a phone call between the Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister. This process, however, began more than a year ago with a telephone conversation between the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, the first contact at the highest level between the two countries after more than a decade of tensions. . That call was followed by a series of talks and meetings, including Herzog’s historic trip to Ankara in March and culminating in Çavusoglu’s visit to Israel in May and Lapid’s visit to Turkey in June, still as foreign minister. Dialogue, cooperation and regional peace All these meetings took place in a positive atmosphere and were accompanied by messages about the importance of dialogue, cooperation between countries and regional peace. Precisely, Lapid’s announcement today specified that “improving relations will contribute to deepening ties between the two peoples, expanding economic, commercial and cultural ties and strengthening regional stability.” Herzog, seen in Israel as having spearheaded this rapprochement process, described today’s announcement as an “important breakthrough” that he said “will foster greater economic relations and tourism.” The emphasis on economic ties is of interest given that this aspect of the bilateral relationship has remained largely intact during the diplomatic tensions that began in 2010 and ended many years of a friendly relationship between the two countries. The first incident was the 2010 Mavi Marmara crisis, a humanitarian flotilla that tried to break the blockade on Gaza and in which ten Turkish activists were killed by the Israeli incursion. Then came a series of ups and downs, marked by Turkey’s rejection of Israel’s policy on the Palestinians, including an attempt to restore relations in 2016 that lasted less than two years. According to Galia Lindenstrauss, a researcher at the Israel Institute for National Security Studies focused on Turkey, today’s announcement comes after a process of rapprochement “more cautious” than that of 2016 and characterized by small steps that helped restore trust between the two countries. . “On this occasion, it was Turkey that promoted the normalization of relations more than the Israeli side, which is an exception,” the expert said during a meeting with journalists, in which she also highlighted a series of factors that promoted Ankara in this address. Among them, she mentioned the economic crisis she is facing -and an interest in attracting foreign investment from countries in the region- and her desire to be a transit point for Israeli gas bound for Europe, which today is sent through Egypt. . From Israel, she stressed, there is an interest in Turkey limiting the activities of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in its territory as well as an attempt to moderate Erdogan’s strong rhetoric on issues related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On this issue, the Turkish Foreign Minister stressed today that the rapprochement with Israel goes hand in hand with Turkey’s defense of “the rights of the Palestinians, of Gaza and Jerusalem.”