Türkiye, Israel to restore full diplomatic ties

Türkiye and Israel announced on Aug. 17 to exchange ambassadors in a bid to fully normalize the relationship after a long period of tension.

"A positive move came from Israel, and we have also decided to appoint an ambassador to Tel Aviv. The official procedure for the appointment of the ambassador will begin after we submit a decree to our president," Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told reporters at a press conference with visiting Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev in the Turkish capital.

Just before Çavuşoğlu's statement, Tel Aviv announced Israel's decision to appoint an ambassador to Ankara from the office of Prime Minister Yair Lapid. "Upgrading relations will contribute to deepening ties between the two peoples, expanding economic, trade, and cultural ties, and strengthening regional stability," read the statement. The Israeli prime minister hailed the diplomatic breakthrough as an "important asset for regional stability and very important economic news for the citizens of Israel."

Türkiye and Israel had withdrawn their envoys in 2018 after the latter's security forces killed scores of civilian Palestinians protesting the United States' decision to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The ties between the two nations have long been suffering in the past decade, first due to the "One Minute" crisis in Davos and later the killing of 10 Turkish men by the Israeli commandos in an incident dubbed the Mavi Marmara crisis.

Çavuşoğlu explained that Türkiye and Israel launched a normalization process after a new government was formed in the latter. Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Ankara in March constituted a turning point in the bilateral ties, which was followed by reciprocal visits of Çavuşoğlu to Tel Aviv...