Israel

Israel closed the Gaza Strip's offshore fishing zone on Aug. 16 following a night of cross-border fighting with Palestinian militants, the most intense escalation of hostilities in recent months.

Palestinian militants in Gaza fired two rockets into southern Israel after Israeli airstrikes targeted sites belonging to the territory's militant Hamas rulers.

Turkey's ruling party on Aug. 15 criticized the deal between the United Arab Emirates and Israel to normalize ties as a "political suicide" against the Palestinian cause.

It is also an attempt to eradicate a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine proposed by the international community, Ömer Çelik, spokesman for the AKP said on Twitter.

Turkey's presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalın spoke via telephone on Aug. 14 with U.S. National Security Advisor Robert C. O'Brien about bilateral relations, Libya, the Eastern Mediterranean and Palestine, according to an official statement.  

Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) welcomes the announcement on the normalisation of relations between the State of Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), voicing confidence that the move will contribute to stability and security in the Middle East.

Turkey has completed discussions with 92 countries for resumption of flights, the country's transportation and infrastructure minister said on Aug. 14.  

Turkey continues to operate scheduled and non-scheduled flights with 48 countries as of Aug. 13, Adil Karaismailoğlu said in a press release.

Tourism professionals are finding fault with Greek National Tourism Organization's (GNTO) expensive campaign on international media and social media.

They say its depiction of Greece as an open and safe destination is at odds with new restrictions being imposed almost daily to deal with the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Aug. 14 that Turkey was considering closing its embassy in Abu Dhabi and suspending diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates over its accord to normalize ties with Israel.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Aug. 14 that Turkey was considering closing its embassy in Abu Dhabi and suspending diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates over its accord to normalize ties with Israel.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry said on Aug. 14 that history and the conscience of the region's people will not forget and never forgive the "hypocritical behavior" of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in agreeing on a deal with Israel.

Israel and the United Arab Emirates announced on Aug. 13 that they will normalize diplomatic ties and forge a broad new relationship, a move that reshapes the order of Middle East politics from the Palestinian issue to the fight against Iran.