Why Does Turkey Want to Befriend Israel?
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech.
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Can Israelis trust President Erdoğan?
Turkey announced it will reestablish its embassy at Tel Aviv, Israel, Al-Monitor reported last month. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reportedly chose Ufuk Ulutas, a veteran diplomat and Hebrew speaker, to fill the post. This comes soon after several historic normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab states.
Turkey was the first Muslim country to recognize Israel’s sovereignty in 1949. Since then, Turkey had generally friendly relations with Israel. But this changed with the rise of Erdoğan, a strongman and Islamist who has ruled the country since 2003. Israel and Turkey never formally severed their political relations. However, Turkey expelled Israel’s ambassador and recalled its own from Tel Aviv in 2018. This was in response to Israel cracking down on Palestinian protests after the United States mo