Israeli President Isaac Herzog on State Visit to Turkey

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog is visiting Turkey on an official state visit, the first Israeli leader to visit the country since 2008.

Herzog was received at the Presidential Palace of Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, with the a 21-gun salute and the playing of Israel’s national anthem “Hatikvah.” Herzog thanked Erdogan for inviting him to Turkey, using some Turkish. “The baggage of the past never disappears of its own accord, but we—our two peoples, our two countries—are choosing to embark on a journey of trust and respect, which will include an in-depth dialogue in all fields, and I thank you for the in-depth discussion we just held. We are choosing to look forward, together,” Herzog said at the welcome ceremony.

Herzog and Erdogan both announced that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu would visit Israel next month, in order to discuss reopening embassies in both countries with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, though the Foreign Ministry later told Israeli media that the visit had not been finalized.

Turkey has been working to repair relations with Israel in the last couple of years. Ties between Turkey and Israel – once close regional allies – reached their nadir after the death of 10 civilians in an Israeli raid on a blockade-busting Turkish flotilla carrying aid for the Gaza Strip in 2010. Relations broke down again in 2018, after Turkey, enraged by the US decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem, once again recalled its ambassador from Israel, prompting Israel to also recall its envoy.

Herzog is scheduled to meet leaders of the Jewish community in Istanbul on Thursday at the Neve Shalom Synagogue, one of 13 active synagogues in Turkey.