The meeting between Prime Minister Yair Lapid and the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly was the first meeting between a Prime Minister of Israel and Erdogan since 2008. That year the Turkish leader met with Ehud Olmert, when Erdogan brokered indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria. The meeting in New York lasted about 70 minutes, which indicates there was more than just polite pleasantries. Lapid thanked Erdogan once again for Turkish assistance in thwarting Iranian plans to harm Israelis on Turkish territory, and the issue of the missing Israelis in the Gaza Strip was also raised in the meeting.
In addition, Erdogan met with representatives of Jewish organizations in the United States, as he did in the past, before the last crisis in relations between Turkey and Israel in 2018. In the meeting with the organizations, the warming of relations between Turkey and Israel was discussed, as was the problem of antisemitism. Inter alia, Erdogan stated, continuing former statements, that antisemitism is a crime against humanity, and declared his intention to visit Israel after the elections in November.
Another step toward restoring the relations between Turkey and Israel to their proper course was the decision of the Appointments Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to recommend the appointment of the temporary head of the embassy in Ankara, Irit Lillian, as Israel's ambassador to Turkey. The professional appointment was expected, in part given that Lillian already held the position of ambassador to Bulgaria and considering her previous efforts to strengthen the ties between the two countries, both during tense times and following the first positive steps between Ankara and Jerusalem. At the same time, it is not yet clear who Turkey is expected to appoint as ambassador to Israel, and whoever is chosen as the Turkish ambassador to Tel Aviv might be a sign of Turkish intentions regarding the continued improvement of relations.
Lapid's schedule of meetings on the sidelines of the General Assembly includes a meeting with the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which indicates the attempt to balance the improvement of relations between Israel and Turkey and preservation of relations with Greece and Cyprus. Shortly after the announcement in mid-August of the normalization of relations between Israel and Turkey, also reported were initial talks with Cyprus regarding the purchase of the Iron Dome system from Israel. These join reports of Israeli aid to Greece in the development of anti-UAV systems.
The security field is of special significance, in part because in the past there was important Turkish-Israeli cooperation on these issues and because Turkey has developed a UAV industry that has seen many achievements (including in the war in Ukraine) and is threatening from Greece and Cyprus’s perspective. The visit by Israeli Minister of Energy Karin Elharar in Cyprus and the attempt to reach a final agreement between the countries on the issues that were in dispute regarding the development of the joint Aphrodite-Yishai gas field is also an important step for preserving relations with Cyprus. Thus, in the near future, Israel is expected to continue trying to balance between its desire to improve relations with Turkey and the importance it attaches to the existing relationship between Israel, Greece, and Cyprus.
The meeting between Prime Minister Yair Lapid and the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly was the first meeting between a Prime Minister of Israel and Erdogan since 2008. That year the Turkish leader met with Ehud Olmert, when Erdogan brokered indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria. The meeting in New York lasted about 70 minutes, which indicates there was more than just polite pleasantries. Lapid thanked Erdogan once again for Turkish assistance in thwarting Iranian plans to harm Israelis on Turkish territory, and the issue of the missing Israelis in the Gaza Strip was also raised in the meeting.
In addition, Erdogan met with representatives of Jewish organizations in the United States, as he did in the past, before the last crisis in relations between Turkey and Israel in 2018. In the meeting with the organizations, the warming of relations between Turkey and Israel was discussed, as was the problem of antisemitism. Inter alia, Erdogan stated, continuing former statements, that antisemitism is a crime against humanity, and declared his intention to visit Israel after the elections in November.
Another step toward restoring the relations between Turkey and Israel to their proper course was the decision of the Appointments Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to recommend the appointment of the temporary head of the embassy in Ankara, Irit Lillian, as Israel's ambassador to Turkey. The professional appointment was expected, in part given that Lillian already held the position of ambassador to Bulgaria and considering her previous efforts to strengthen the ties between the two countries, both during tense times and following the first positive steps between Ankara and Jerusalem. At the same time, it is not yet clear who Turkey is expected to appoint as ambassador to Israel, and whoever is chosen as the Turkish ambassador to Tel Aviv might be a sign of Turkish intentions regarding the continued improvement of relations.
Lapid's schedule of meetings on the sidelines of the General Assembly includes a meeting with the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which indicates the attempt to balance the improvement of relations between Israel and Turkey and preservation of relations with Greece and Cyprus. Shortly after the announcement in mid-August of the normalization of relations between Israel and Turkey, also reported were initial talks with Cyprus regarding the purchase of the Iron Dome system from Israel. These join reports of Israeli aid to Greece in the development of anti-UAV systems.
The security field is of special significance, in part because in the past there was important Turkish-Israeli cooperation on these issues and because Turkey has developed a UAV industry that has seen many achievements (including in the war in Ukraine) and is threatening from Greece and Cyprus’s perspective. The visit by Israeli Minister of Energy Karin Elharar in Cyprus and the attempt to reach a final agreement between the countries on the issues that were in dispute regarding the development of the joint Aphrodite-Yishai gas field is also an important step for preserving relations with Cyprus. Thus, in the near future, Israel is expected to continue trying to balance between its desire to improve relations with Turkey and the importance it attaches to the existing relationship between Israel, Greece, and Cyprus.