A desire for rapprochement between Turkey and Israel.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, December 25, that he wanted his country to have better relations with the Hebrew state.
The Turkish president nevertheless sharply criticized the Israeli policy towards the Palestinians, which he described as "unacceptable" and "red line" for Ankara.
Former allies Turkey and Israel mutually expelled high-ranking diplomats in 2018 following clashes in which dozens of Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces on the Gaza border.
Ankara has repeatedly condemned the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the treatment of the Palestinians.
Speaking to the press after Friday prayers in Istanbul, the Turkish president said Turkey has problems with "people at the highest level" in Israel and the ties could have been "very different" if those problems did not exist.
"Palestinian policy is our red line. It is impossible for us to accept the Palestinian policy of Israel," he added.
Ankara and Tel Aviv nevertheless continue to have significant trade.
Israel, which formally resumed relations with four Muslim countries this year, said on Wednesday it is working to normalize ties with a fifth Muslim nation, possibly in Asia.
Tunisia said on Tuesday it had no plans to do so.
Ankara condemned the rapprochements negotiated by the United States between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
Tayyip Erdogan also criticized Bahrain's decision to formalize its ties, considering it a blow to the Palestinian cause.
With Reuters
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