A team of senior Turkish officials Thursday held meetings in Jerusalem ahead of the Israeli president’s planned trip to Ankara as the two countries work to repair strained ties. During the meeting, both parties have agreed that "the rehabilitation of relations can contribute to regional stability."
"The parties discussed preparations for the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Turkey, bilateral ties between the two countries, as well as various regional issues," Herzog’s office and the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a joint statement.
Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın and Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal led the delegation that also meet Palestinian authorities on Wednesday.
Herzog met with Kalın and Önal, who also held talks with other senior officials, including Foreign Ministry Director-General Alon Ushpiz and Eyal Shuiki, director-general of the Israeli Presidential Office, said the Israeli press release.
"Turkey and Israel have broad influence in the region, and both have agreed that the rehabilitation of relations can contribute to regional stability," the statement added.
The Turkish delegation's visit to Israel came a day after a visit to the occupied Palestinian territories where they met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian officials.
In steps toward a thaw in relations with Israel, Turkish officials have stressed that Turkey's support for the Palestinian cause and a two-state solution remains as strong as ever.
The trip comes ahead of an expected visit to Turkey by Israeli President Isaac Herzog in March, as recently announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Turkey is on a path toward normalizing ties with Israel and Ankara had stated it may mediate between Israel and Palestine.
Following the meeting with Israeli and Palestinian officials, Kalın told Anadolu Agency (AA): "We believe the steps we take from now on, with both the Palestinian and Israeli sides, will contribute significantly to the resolution of the Palestinian issue, to the advancement of the Middle East peace process, and to ensuring regional peace and stability and security for all parties and actors."
"We had the opportunity to evaluate the bilateral dimension of Turkey-Israel relations from different aspects," Kalın said on the delegation's meetings with Israeli officials.
He went on to say: "Of course, we also discussed the Palestinian issue. Here, we had the opportunity to convey our sensitivity on Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque to the Israeli side."
He said they also discussed regional developments in the Gulf, Syria and Ukraine with the Israeli officials, adding that Herzog also attended part of the meeting and discussed the main topics of his upcoming visit to Turkey in March.
On a question on the probability of a return visit by Erdoğan to Israel, Kalın said: "It is envisaged that all of these issues will be realized step by step in a way that will ensure a sustainable relationship."
He added: "We plan to take these steps mutually within the strategic framework drawn by our president. Mutual visits, the appointment of ambassadors, and joint work in other fields will be discussed."
Kalın underlined that a sovereign Palestine for Palestinians would help ensure a long-term sustainable environment of peace and stability for the entire region, including Israel.
"We hope that new steps will be taken in this direction. Our efforts will be in this direction. These will be one of the main topics of our future talks with Israel," he added.
Many issues, such as bilateral relations, the Palestinian issue, regional matters and the activities of Turkish institutions and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are on the agenda between Turkey and Israel, he said.
Touching on the delegation's meeting with Palestinian President Abbas and other Palestinian officials, Kalın said Turkey attaches great importance to the Palestinian side's sensitivities.
"In particular, taking constructive steps towards the solution of the Palestinian problem is of great importance in terms of ensuring regional peace and stability," he said.
The Turkish delegation discussed what could be done on multilateral platforms for the realization of the two-state solution with Abbas, he added.
During the meeting with Abbas, Kalın and Önal assured Turkey's commitment to the Palestinian cause and its continued support to the Palestinian people within the framework of a two-state solution.
Herzog’s trip is said to take place on March 9 and 10. Erdoğan has hailed the visit as an opportunity to "open a new chapter in relations between Turkey and Israel."
Erdoğan earlier this month expressed Turkey’s interest in resuming talks with Israel on using its natural gas and transporting it to Europe.
Turkey and Israel had previously attempted to cooperate on energy resources, but those talks had never moved very far.
Relations between Turkey and Israel hit a low in 2010 following an Israeli naval raid on a Turkish aid ship, the Mavi Marmara, en route to deliver humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip. The raid killed 10 activists. The event caused an unprecedented crisis in Turkish-Israeli relations that had been peaceful for decades. Both countries even recalled their diplomatic envoys following the incident.
In 2013, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s apology to Turkey and the payment of $20 million (TL 272 million) in compensation to the Mavi Marmara victims, Turkish-Israeli relations entered a period of normalization.
In December 2016, both countries reappointed ambassadors as part of the reconciliation deal and reiterated several times the necessity to further improve bilateral relations. The two countries once again expelled each other's ambassadors in 2018 after another bitter falling out, and relations have since remained tense.
In recent months, however, the two countries have been working on a rapprochement with Erdoğan, a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, holding telephone talks with his Israeli counterpart and other Israeli leaders. In November, Erdoğan also spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, in a rare exchange between the two countries, the first such contact between an Israeli prime minister and Erdoğan since 2013.
Despite the recent rapprochement, Turkish officials continue to criticize Israel’s policies targeting Palestinians, including the illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Known for its unbreakable solidarity with the Palestinians, Turkey has been voicing support for the Palestinian cause in the international realm for decades. Turkish authorities emphasize that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Middle East is through a fair and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue within the framework of international law and United Nations resolutions.