It will be the first visit by an Israeli Prime Minister to Turkey since Ehud Olmert in 2008.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for an official visit to Turkey for an official visit on July 28.
This represents one more sign of the renewed diplomatic relations between the two countries.
It will be the first visit by an Israeli Prime Minister to Turkey since Ehud Olmert in 2008.
Netanyahu and Erdogan plan to discuss bilateral ties and steps to improve relations, the Turkish president’s office said in a statement, in what is set to be the first-ever meeting between the two leaders.
The Turkish invitation, which follows the one extended last week by Morocco, comes amid increased Israeli-Palestinian violence.
Erdogan will also separetely host host Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
Israel and Turkey announced the restoration of full diplomatic ties last year after several years of break following a 2010 IDF raid on the Mavi Marmara as it attempted to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. Ten Turkish citizens were killed during that raid.
Tensions have also been high in the past due to Erdogan’s strong support for the Palestinians and his sharp anti-Israel comments, including at the United Nations.
Ties were restored last year, a move that was cemented with a visit by President Isaac Herzog.
Six months ago, Israel appointed Irit Lillian as ambassador in Ankara, becoming the first Israeli ambassador to Turkey since 2018.
Nevertheless, significant points of contention between the two countries remain. Most notably, Hamas maintains its operational headquarters on Turkish soil, which it uses to orchestrate and fund terrorism in Judea and Samaria.
While Erdogan has expelled a handful of Hamas members from Turkish soil in recent months, its Foreign Minister late last year reaffirmed that Turkey does “not see Hamas as a terrorist organization.”
Earlier this month, Turkish counterintelligence announced that it had detained seven alleged Mossad agents on suspicion of espionage. The suspects, who carried passports of various Middle Eastern countries, were reportedly members of a 56-member team that was part of a larger network.