Israeli president on state visit to Turkey, a first in 14 years
Isaac Herzog is received by his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan this Wednesday, March 9.
AFP/File
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Isaac Herzog is received by his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan this Wednesday, March 9.
This is the first time in 14 years that a senior Israeli official has visited Turkey.
The Turkish president wants to open “
a new path in relations
” between the two countries, against a background of energy cooperation, and in particular a gas pipeline project in the eastern Mediterranean.
The Jewish state, for its part, hopes to ease tensions with its large regional neighbor.
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With our correspondent in Jerusalem,
Sami Boukhelifa
The last visit of an Israeli leader to Turkey dates back to 2008, but it was
in 2010
that the relationship between the two countries deteriorated.
That year, Israeli forces launched a deadly assault on the Mavi Marmara.
Loaded with humanitarian aid, this Turkish ship tried to break the blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip.
“
Since the so-called Mavi Marmara incident, all these years have been years of significant tension between Turkey and Israel,
analyzes Rémi Daniel, researcher at INSS, the Institute for National Security Studies, in Israel.
There was an
attempted rapprochement in 2016
, which later collapsed with US President Donald Trump's recognition (in 2017) of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Perhaps with this visit, which marks a symbolic renewal, we are on our way to a new exchange of ambassadors between the two countries.
»
Towards global warming?
Because Turks and Israelis recalled their respective ambassadors in 2018. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan now seems willing to move forward, but not for free.
“
The question that has arisen for several years now,
continues Rémi Daniel,
is: how is Israel going to export the gas it exploits in the Mediterranean?
The first plan was to pass it through Turkey.
But when there was the crisis between the two countries, Israel turned to Cyprus and Greece.
The Turks are trying to see if there is a possibility of returning to the initial plan.
»
In Israel, the office of president is honorary.
But this visit by Isaac Herzog to Turkey should pave the way for global warming.
The head of Israeli diplomacy must soon go to Turkey, specifies the researcher, also a doctoral student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
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Turkey
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Israel
Isaac Herzog
Energies