'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 other Middle Eastern powers like UAE and Bahrain normalised relations with Israel, Turkey has stood firm in its support for the Palestinian cause. Speaking to reporters in Istanbul, the Turkish leader stressed that there was an issue with “people at the top level” in Israel and that ties could have been “very different” if it were not for those issues.

“There are issues, if not then for them we would have totally different (relations) with Israel. Palestine is our red line, we will not 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 the two countries severed in 2018 after Ankara expelled the Israeli ambassador over the killings of Palestinians amid protests in Gaza Strip. Jerusalem retaliated by expelling the Turkish diplomat, eventually making both the countries without diplomats ill Ankara appointed one earlier in 2020.

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

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Image: AP