Turkish Foreign Minister says he’ll visit Israel in May
As unarmed Palestinians and Muslims are subjected to brutal Israeli repression and systematic killing that Amnesty International has described as amounting to crimes against humanity, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu announced that he will visit Israel in May.
In an interview with CNN, Çavuşoğlu was quoted by the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah as saying: “He will visit Israel on the 24th of next May, amidst bilateral efforts to mend the strained relations, four years after the expulsion of ambassadors”.
Çavuşoğlu said: “He will travel to Israel and Palestine with Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez on May 24, and will discuss the appointment of ambassadors with his Israeli counterpart during the visit”.
Turkey is working toward a warmer relationship with Israel, which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long called a state of terror, but he quickly condemned the guerrilla operations of Palestinian militants in the occupied Palestinian territory for success in the first test of Turkey’s efforts to normalize relations with Israel.
Recently, energy has emerged as a potential area for further cooperation between Turkey and Israel. Last month, Erdogan said, while receiving what he described as historic from his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog: “He is very optimistic about energy cooperation with Tel Aviv, and he hoped to discuss the issue with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett”.
In an attempt to give some cosmetic effect to Turkey’s drive for a warmer normalization with Israel, Erdogan said the day before yesterday: He told Herzog that he was “deeply disturbed” by the wounding or killing of Palestinians in the West Bank and Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan, in a move that may have avoided harsh criticism by Palestinians.
