Israel, Turkey Agree To Restore Full Diplomatic Ties

Israel and Turkey will again exchange ambassadors following an agreement to restore full diplomatic ties. The decision announced on Wednesday comes after a phone conversation between Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which followed from understandings reached during Lapid’s recent visit to Turkey,  according to a statement from Lapid’s office.

“This restoration of diplomatic relations is a continuation of the positive direction in the development of relations over the past year, since President Isaac Herzog’s diplomatic visit to Ankara, and the reciprocal visits of the foreign ministers to Jerusalem and Ankara. Upgrading relations will contribute to deepening ties between the two peoples, expanding economic, trade, and cultural ties, and strengthening regional stability,” Lapid said in a statement.

“I commend the renewal of full diplomatic relations with Turkey – an important development that we’ve been leading for the past year, which will encourage greater economic relations, mutual tourism, and friendship between the Israeli and Turkish peoples. Good neighborly relations and the spirit of partnership in the Middle East are important for us all. Members of all faiths – Muslims, Jews, and Christians – can and must live together in peace,” Herzog said in a statement.

Turkey last recalled its ambassador to Israel in 2018, after the US recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and over cross-border hostilities between Israel and the Palestinians.