Abbas, Netanyahu to Visit Turkey Just Days Apart

Facts

• Palestinian Pres. Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Turkey just days apart next week to hold talks with Turkish Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Abbas will reportedly arrive on July 25, and Netanyahu on July 28.¹
• Netanyahu and Erdoğan are expected to discuss steps to improve cooperation as well as a portfolio of international and regional issues — meeting for the first time in 14 years amid quickly warming ties after years of strained relations.²
• Erdoğan’s office said that Abbas and Erdoğan are reportedly set to discuss the latest developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as other bilateral and regional issues.²
• The last Israeli Prime Minister to visit Turkey was Ehud Olmert in 2008. More recently, Israeli Pres. Isaac Herzog held talks with Erdoğan, and — a few months later — former Prime Minister Yair Lapid met with Erdoğan while the two were in New York.³
• Relations between Turkey and Israel became stressed in 2010 after an Israeli commando raid on a blockade-breaking flotilla to Gaza that left 10 Turkish activists dead. Ties were again damaged in 2018 after Erdoğan leveled charges of “state terrorism” and “genocide” at Israel when Palestinians were killed in Gaza protests.⁴
• Though relations have improved, Turkey has still been critical of Israel, condemning clashes that erupted inside the flashpoint al-Aqsa Mosque in April when Israeli police fought with Palestinians inside the holy site.⁵

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²AL, ³The National, ⁴The Times of Israel, and ⁵Al Arabiya English.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Middle East Eye. Erdoğan's diplomatic moves benefit Turkey, Israel, and the Palestinians, as Turkey cares about both regional stability and a just and equitable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Indeed, Erdoğan has not minced his words when Israel has overstepped, and he has been a vocal advocate for the Palestinian cause.
• Narrative B, as provided by Jerusalem Post. Though Israel and Turkey have had their disagreements in the past, the recent thawing of their relationship is ultimately good for the entire region. As Eastern Mediterranean gas increasingly gains strategic and economic value, Turkey and Israel should work together.
• Narrative C, as provided by eKathimerini. Turkish neo-Ottoman expansionism is in full throttle. Turkey has military assets engaged in the Levent, Horn of Africa, Caucasus, and North Africa and is eager to expand its presence even further. When interacting with powers in the region, Ankara is primarily focused on protecting and promoting its own interests, while also casting itself in the role of regional supervisor for others.