'Turkey wants better ties with Israel but its Palestine policy is unacceptable': Erdogan

Turkey is in favour of improving diplomatic relations with Israel but its Palestinian policy is unacceptable to Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on December 25. While or Middle Eastern powers like UAE and Bahrain rmalised relations with Israel, Turkey has stood firm in its support for Palestinian cause. Speaking to reporters in Istanbul, Turkish leader stressed that re was an issue with “people at top level” in Israel and that ties could have been “very different” if it were t for those issues.

“re are issues, if t n for m we would have totally different (relations) with Israel. Palestine is our red line, we will t accept it. As a matter of fact, we wholeheartedly wish for our relations with Israel to improve," Erdogan told reproters after Friday prayers. 

Severed ties

Ties between two countries severed in 2018 after Ankara expelled Israeli ambassador over killings of Palestinians amid protests in Gaza Strip. Jerusalem retaliated by expelling Turkish diplomat, eventually making both countries without diplomats ill Ankara appointed one earlier in 2020.

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Palestinians have long demanded restoration of border before 1967, giving m control over disputed territory of West Bank. West Bank is a landlocked sliver of land which is bordered by Jordan and Isreal. While Israel occupied area in 1967, Palestinians claim it to be ir own. West Bank also includes area of East Jerusalem, which is one of key areas of contention owing to its religious importance. Palestinians have repeatedly highlighted that with a rising number of settlements in West Bank, which have reached nearly 5,000 by w, it has become increasingly difficult to achieve ir dream of independence. Earlier this year, Israel successfully restored diplomatic relations between Bahrain as well as United Arab Emirates as a part of US-brokered Abraham accord.

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Im: AP