Turkey, Israel want to improve ties after presidents’ call: AKP

Turkey’s Erdoğan calls Israel’s new president but both sides say the other must move first for any rapprochement.

Turkey and Israel agreed to work towards improving their strained relations after a rare phone call between their presidents, a spokesman for Turkey’s ruling AK Party said on Wednesday. The two countries expelled ambassadors in 2018 after a bitter falling-out. Ankara has condemned Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and its treatment of Palestinians, while Israel has called on Turkey to drop support for the Palestinian group Hamas that governs Gaza. Both sides say the other must move first for any rapprochement.