Is Erdoğan Changing Course? Turkey Opens Door to Renewed Israel Ties

Conditional Normalization

Is Erdoğa changing course? Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in an interview that Turkey and Israel could restore full diplomatic relations, but only if Israel meets Ankara’s conditions regarding Gaza.

According to Fidan, Turkey’s position is that Israel must stop the “killing of Palestinians” and stop “blocking access to basic human needs in the Gaza Strip.”

The comments come after U.S. President Donald Trump called for more Arab and Muslim-majority countries, including Turkey, to join the Abraham Accords. The push would place Turkey in a wider regional normalization framework with Israel, but Ankara is making clear that any return to normal relations would be tied to Gaza and recognition of a Palestinian state.

Turkey and Israel restored full diplomatic relations in 2022 after years of strained ties. Since the October 7 attacks and the war in Gaza, however, relations have sharply deteriorated, with Turkey cutting trade ties, restricting Israeli-linked maritime activity, and taking an increasingly hostile public stance toward Jerusalem.

Regional Security Platform

Fidan also said Israel could potentially be integrated into a new regional security platform alongside Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and other regional states.

However, he made clear that such a move would depend on a major diplomatic step from Jerusalem: official Israeli recognition of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, based on the 1967 lines.

The proposal reflects Ankara’s attempt to position itself as a regional power while setting heavy political conditions on Israel, linking any future cooperation to Gaza and recognition of a Palestinian state. For Turkey, normalization is not being presented as a stand-alone diplomatic step, but as part of a wider regional security framework.

For Israel, Fidan’s remarks contain both an opening and a hard condition. Turkey is signaling that full ties are possible, but only on terms that would require major diplomatic concessions from Jerusalem.