President Erdogan Calls Turkey-Israel Relations Can Be Improved, These Are The Conditions

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru/The Russian Presidential Press and Information Office)

JAKARTA - Turkey could improve relations with Israel if the Tel Aviv administration takes concrete steps regarding Palestine, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters in Doha, Qatar, President Erdogan said Turkey could launch a similar process with Israel and Egypt, if those countries took similar steps.

Noting that Turkey warmly welcomes the request of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to mend relations, President Erdogan said steps are being taken to further improve the broken relations.

"Our foreign minister and intelligence unit will play an active role regarding relations with Abu Dhabi. A similar process can happen with Israel too, why not?" President Erdogan said citing Daily Sabah December 8.

President Erdogan noted that Turkey supports living in peace and building regional peace.

"I have had talks with Israel in the past but Israel needs to act more sensitively regarding its regional policies in Palestine," President Erdogan explained, adding Tel Aviv needs to act responsibly on the Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque issue.

Illustration of Palestinian children on the border with Israel. (Wikimedia Commons/Harry Pockets)

Ankara will respond immediately if it sees Israel making its move, President Erdogan said, adding that both countries could re-appoint envoys when Israel recognizes actions that Turkey considers a red flag.

Relations between Turkey and Israel hit rock bottom in 2010 following an Israeli Navy attack on a Turkish aid ship, the Mavi Marmara, on its way to deliver humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip. Ten activists were killed in the attack.

The incident caused an unprecedented crisis in Turkey-Israel relations which have been peaceful for decades. The two countries even summoned their diplomatic envoys after the incident.

Then in 2013, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's apology to Turkey and the payment of 20 million US dollars in compensation to the victims of Mavi Marmara, Turkish-Israeli relations entered a period of normalization.

In December 2016, the two countries reappointed ambassadors as part of a reconciliation agreement, several times stressing the need to further enhance bilateral relations.

However, Turkish officials continue to criticize Israel's policies targeting Palestinians, including illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Turks have also complained about arbitrary visitation restrictions by Israel. However, Israel's informal policy of deportation, visa refusal, arbitrary detention, and unreasonable delay of Turkish nationals at airports, has failed to discourage hundreds of visitors every year.

To note, known for its unbreakable solidarity with Palestine, Turkey has been voicing support for the Palestinian cause on the international scene for decades.

The Turkish authorities emphasize that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Middle East is through a just and comprehensive solution, to the Palestinian issue within the framework of international law and UN resolutions.