Israel, Turkey ties dependent on treatment of Palestinians: Turkish FM

Sustainable relations between Turkey and Israel will require the latter to respect international law regarding Palestinians, Ankara’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

Cavusoglu told Israeli reporters that relations had reached a good point, and recent dialogue "has been constructive and momentum is growing," the US news website Axios reported.

Turkey’s top diplomat said that after many fluctuations, Turkey now wants to build a more "sustainable relationship" with Israel.

He said that problems between the two countries still exist due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Israel’s repeated violations of international law, noting that relations would not fully improve unless these issues are dealt with.

.@GiorgioCafiero spotlights what is seemingly becoming a new normal in Turkish diplomacy ⬇#UkraineRussianWar #UkraineWar https://t.co/MHWqXsdWui

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Cavusoglu warned that any Israeli escalation against the Palestinians, including on the Gaza Strip– which Israel assaulted for 11 days straight last year killing hundreds – could undermine the "normalisation process" between Turkey and Israel.

He called on both Israel and the Palestinians to exercise restraint during the current Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, after a surge of violence in Israel and the West Bank since late March left dozens of people - mostly Palestinians - killed.

"Turkey wants dialogue with Israel on regional issues such as Iran and Syria, and a positive agenda in areas such as trade, investment, energy and tourism."

Turkey has taken moves to mend ties with Israel since Naftali Bennett became prime minister last year. In 1949, it became the first Muslim-majority country to officially recognise Israel.

Isaac Herzog’s trip to Ankara last month marked the first visit by an Israeli president to Turkey in 15 years.