Israel not going for ‘perfect marriage’ with Turkiye, says diplomat

An Israeli diplomat said on Monday that the restoration of full diplomatic relations between Israel and Turkiye does not mean that Tel Aviv is aiming for a “perfect marriage” with Ankara.

“From the beginning, it was clear that we were building a process in which we agree to disagree,” Irit Lillian, Israel’s Charge D’affaires in Ankara, told the Times of Israel. “There are a number of points that we currently do not agree on. We can move forward and solve them later on.”

One of the outstanding issues, apparently, is Hamas’s office in Istanbul, from where Israeli officials claim the movement is directing resistance against the Israeli occupation. Turkiye insists that it is purely for political activities.

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“Hamas’ offices in Istanbul will be shut down,” promised the then Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid last November. “However, it is still there, [and] it is a huge obstacle,” said Lillian. Nevertheless, she pointed out that ties are being constructed in a manner that enables the sides to handle tensions quietly and constructively.

“We want to do everything we can to build a structure that can withstand political earthquakes in the future,” she told the Israeli newspaper. “We are going into proper, positive bilateral relations, that have a wide range of activities, but we know that there are points we do not agree on. We know we are not going into a perfect marriage.”

Beyond disagreements over the solution to Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians, said the Times of Israel, there are areas of potential cooperation in the issue of Syria and energy exploration in the Mediterranean.

Relations broke down between the two countries in 2018, after Turkiye got angry with the US for moving its embassy to occupied Jerusalem. Ankara recalled its ambassador from Israel.

The journey to last week’s announcement of the restoration of full diplomatic relations, said the newspaper, started in May 2020, when an Israeli aircraft landed in Turkiye for the first time in ten years to collect medical aid for Israel at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.