Erdogan to visit 'Israel' after parliamentary elections: Media

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Sep 2022 22:43

Israeli media say Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a group of Jewish leaders in New York that he plans to visit "Israel".

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with the Israeli occupation President Isaac Herzog (AFP)

A senior Turkish official told Middle East Eye that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to visit "Israel" after the Turkish parliamentary elections on November 1.

Earlier, Israeli media reported that Erdogan told a group of Jewish leaders on Monday in New York that he plans to visit "Israel".

This comes as Israeli occupation Prime Minister Yair Lapid's office had confirmed that Lapid would meet Erdogan in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, in the Turkish President's first meeting with an Israeli PM since 2008.

Erdogan hasn’t visited "Israel" since 2005, when he was still Turkey's Prime Minister.

The latest development comes five months after "Israel's" President Isaac Herzog visited Ankara and met with Erdogan, in the first visit by an Israeli occupation President to Turkey since 2008.

It is noteworthy that relations between Ankara and "Tel Aviv" had reached their lowest level after Israeli occupation commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara ship that was carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in 2010, which led to the deaths of nine Turks.

After a reconciliation deal in 2016, tensions escalated again between the two sides when both exchanged withdrawing ambassadors in 2018 over the IOF killing Palestinian protesters in Gaza and after the US moved its embassy to occupied Al-Quds.

However, in recent months, Israeli-Turkish relations have been warming up. In March, Israeli occupation President Isaac Herzog visited Ankara and met with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In August, Turkey and "Israel" agreed to mutually reappoint ambassadors and restore full diplomatic ties.

The announcement came less than two weeks after the Israeli occupation launched a brutal aggression on Gaza that left at least 49 martyrs, including 16 children.

The occupation has already named Irit Lilian as the next ambassador to Ankara.

According to The Jerusalem Post, Turkey and "Israel" had for years "been close allies in the defense industry, security cooperation, intelligence sharing, and military training."