Did Turkey Cut All Ties With Israel?
Reports emerged on Wednesday that Turkey has decided to cut all ties with Israel, a country the Recep Tayyip Erdogan-led government has criticised heavily for the Gaza genocide. Many media houses including middleeasteye.net and newsweek.com reported that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the announcement aboard his plane following his recent visits to Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan to journalists.
While newsweek.com sourced News outlet Medya Ege which has reportedly quoted Erdogan to have said, “We, as the State and Government of the Republic of Turkey, have cut off relations with Israel. We do not have any relationship with Israel at this point. Period.”
“As you know, intense efforts are being made to keep the pressure on Israel alive and to take coercive measures against this country on the basis of international law We show it,” newsweek.com quoted the Turkey president.
Meanwhile, major international media outlets, including Al Jazeera and Turkey’s own TRT, refrained from reporting the news, casting doubt on the credibility of the development and its reporting.
However, experts have suggested that the meaning of the announcement would be mostly about how Turkey is going to go ahead with the break up plans. An official close to the Turkey establishment said the way ahead for Erdogan government would be either reducing the engagements with the Israeli government or downsizing its bilateral relations.
Erdogan has been one of the prominent voices from the Muslim majority countries to criticise Israel in all possible terms after the later started its destructive attack on Gaza after the October 7 events in 2023.
Earlier this year in May in the height of Israel’s attack on Gaza, Turkey announced it would suspend all trade with Israel until a permanent cease-fire is reached, intensifying global pressure for peace amid Israel’s then warnings of a planned offensive in southern Gaza’s Rafah city.
In the past, Turkey and Israel have experienced fluctuating bilateral relations characterised by a blend of cooperation and tension. While the two nations historically maintained strong ties, recent years have seen a marked increase in diplomatic strains, largely shaped by divergent political stances, regional conflicts, and ideological differences.
Initially, Turkey and Israel enjoyed a robust alliance, sharing close military, economic, and intelligence ties. Turkey was the first Muslim-majority nation to recognize Israel, and their cooperation reached a peak in the 1990s. However, the relationship began to sour in the 2000s, particularly under the leadership of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose administration has been increasingly critical of Israel’s policies towards Palestinians.
One of the pivotal moments that strained relations was the 2010 Gaza flotilla incident, in which Israeli commandos boarded the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which was attempting to breach the Gaza blockade, resulting in the deaths of ten Turkish activists. This incident led to a diplomatic fallout, with both countries recalling ambassadors and downgrading relations.
The tensions further escalated over Turkey’s vocal opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza and East Jerusalem. Erdogan has often condemned Israel’s settlement policies and alleged human rights abuses against Palestinians, positioning Turkey as a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights. Conversely, Israel has accused Turkey of supporting Hamas, a group Israel considers a terrorist organization.
Despite occasional reconciliations, such as the normalization agreement in 2016, relations remain fragile. Turkey’s support for Palestinian statehood and Israel’s strengthening ties with regional rivals like Greece and Cyprus add to the complexity. Both nations occasionally signal interest in cooperation, particularly in trade and energy, yet diplomatic relations are persistently strained by ideological and geopolitical factors.
