Israel’s president arrives in Turkey as countries heal rift

ANKARA, 10 March 2022, (TON): Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived in Turkey for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, becoming the first leader from Israel to visit in 14 years as the two countries move to turn a new page in their troubled relationship.

Escorted by a Turkish mounted color guard, Herzog arrived at the Turkish presidential palace in the capital Ankara as light snow began to fall.

He was greeted by Erdogan and a military honor guard, while a band played the Israeli anthem for the first time since 2008.

Turkey and Israel once were close allies, but the relationship frayed under Erdogan, who is an outspoken critic of Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians. Israel also has been angered by Erdogan’s embrace of Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip.

The countries withdrew their respective ambassadors in 2010 after Israeli forces stormed a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians that broke an Israeli blockade.

The incident resulted in the deaths of nine Turkish activists.

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