File photo: Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid speaks at a press conference after meeting Turkish Foreign Minister Mevrut Cavsogur in Ankara, Turkey, June 23, 2022. (REUTERS/Umit Bektas)
JERUSALEM: Israel and Turkey have restored full diplomatic relations and will send their first ambassadors in years, the Israeli prime minister’s office said Wednesday.
Earlier this year, Israel and Turkey began a process of reconciliation after more than a decade of estrangement between the once-friendly nations.
Countries withdrew their ambassadors in 2010 after Israeli forces raided a Gaza-bound convoy carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians who had broken the Israeli blockade. died.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu confirmed the decision to reappoint the ambassador and said Turkey would send an ambassador to Tel Aviv. But despite the normalization process with Israel, Turkey will continue to support the Palestinians, he said.
“After the new government took office, the dialogue process with Israel began,” Chavsoglu told reporters. “The appointment of an ambassador was one of the steps we said we would take to normalize relations.”
“We will continue to defend the rights of Palestine, Jerusalem and Gaza,” he added.
