By: Aryeh Savir
Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke on Monday by phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the first conversation between the Turkish leader and an Israeli official in years.
Erdogan congratulated Herzog on his inauguration.
The presidents emphasized in the conversation that Israeli-Turkish relations “are of great importance for security and stability in the Middle East” and that there is “a high potential for cooperation between the two countries in many areas, especially in the fields of energy, tourism and technology,” Herzog’s office stated.
They also noted that despite the Coronavirus pandemic, bilateral trade between the countries is expanding and developing.
“The presidents attach great importance to the continuation of contacts and continuous dialogue despite all the disagreements, in order to promote positive steps to resolve the Israeli-Arab conflict that will also contribute to the improvement of Israel-Turkey relations,” the statement said.
Herzog also recently spoke with King Abdullah of Jordan and Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas.
The relations between Israel and Turkey have been sour for years as Erdogan and his Islamist ruling party have drawn the country toward the Muslim Brotherhood and have espoused anti-Israel Islamic ideas, and even anti-Semitic notions.
Turkey is facing a complex financial situation in the country, as well as tense relations with the US and Europe. This conversation may be an attempt by Erdogan to improve his situation.
Back in May of this year, TPS reported that the US had “strongly” condemned Erdogan’s “anti-Semitic comments regarding the Jewish people and finds them reprehensible.”
Erdogan, who shares close ties with Hamas, accused Israel of “terrorism” and recently said that “it is in their [Jews] nature,” AFP reported.
“They are murderers, to the point that they kill children who are five or six years old. They only are satisfied by sucking their blood,” he reportedly said.
State Department spokesman Ned Price urged Erdogan and other Turkish leaders to “refrain from incendiary remarks, which could incite further violence. We call on Turkey to join the United States in working to end the conflict.”
Erdogan accused President Joe Biden of having “bloody hands” because of Washington’s support for Israel’s counterterrorism campaign in Gaza Strip.
“You are writing history with your bloody hands,” Erdogan said in televised remarks directed at Biden. “You forced us to say this. We cannot step back.”
Responding to Erdogan’s remarks in the Jews, Price said that “anti-Semitic language has no place anywhere. The United States is deeply committed to combatting anti-Semitism in all of its forms. We take seriously the violence that often accompanies anti-Semitism and the dangerous lies that undergird it. We must always counter lies with facts and answer crimes of hate with justice.”
The relations between Israel and Turkey have been sour for years as Erdogan and his Islamist ruling party have drawn the country toward the Muslim Brotherhood and have espoused anti-Israel Islamic ideas.
(TPS)
