Turkish and Israeli presidents talk in rare phone call

Turkey’s Erdogan and new Israeli president Herzog speak on phone in sign of possible thaw after years of strained ties.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has spoken with his new Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog, in a sign of a possible thaw between the two former allies after years of frosty relations. The rare telephone talks between the two countries on Monday came after Erdogan, a vocal champion of the Palestinian cause during his 18-year rule, held talks on Saturday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. During that meeting, Erdogan told Abbas that Turkey would “not remain silent to Israel’s oppression in Palestine,” according to the Turkish presidency.