Israel and Turkey announce normalization of ties

Israel and Turkey will soon reappoint ambassadors to each other’s countries and restore full diplomatic ties, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on Wednesday.

Relations between the two nations were downgraded back in 2018 after Israeli forces killed some 60 Palestinians during protests on the Gaza border. Ankara at the time condemned the heavy-handed treatment of demonstrators by Israel.

A statement released by the premier’s office, following talks between Lapid and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said: “it was decided to once again upgrade the level of the relations between the two countries to that of full diplomatic ties and to return ambassadors and consuls general.”

The normalization would, among other things, help “strengthen regional stability,” it added.