ANKARA, Turkey: Israel’s defense minister became the first top defense official from his country to visit Turkey in more than a decade Thursday as the two nations take steps to normalize their strained ties.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar welcomed Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz to Ankara with a military ceremony before the two held talks and chaired meetings between their countries’ delegations, Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense said.
Turkey and Israel were once close regional allies with broad defense ties, but the relationship became more and more strained under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rule. The Turkish leader has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s policies toward Palestinians, while Israel objected to Turkey’s ties to the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.
Relations broke down in 2010 after Israeli forces stormed a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians that broke an Israeli blockade. The incident resulted in the deaths of nine Turkish activists, and the countries withdrew their respective ambassadors.
Following an attempt at mending ties, Turkey again recalled its ambassador in 2018 after the United States moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
Relations began to thaw after the departure of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog paid a state visit to Turkey in March, followed by Prime Minister Yair Lapid — who was foreign minister at the time — in June. Last month, Erdogan and Lapid met on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly meeting in New York.
Turkey and Israeli recently announced they would reappoint their respective ambassadors.
The two countries were once close defense partners. Defense pacts signed in the mid-1990s allowed Israeli air force pilots to train over Turkey’s airspace. Israel upgraded Turkish military tanks and jets, and supplied drones and other high-tech equipment.
The countries still share various strategic interests, including containing Iran.
Israel recently thanked Turkey for intelligence cooperation against Iranian attempts to carry out attacks in Turkey.
Erdogan has expressed an interest in Turkey tapping into Israel’s offshore natural gas fields in the Mediterranean Sea.
Israel’s defense minister visits Turkey as relations thaw
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Israel’s defense minister visits Turkey as relations thaw
- Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar welcomed Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz to Ankara with a military ceremony
Israel police to deploy around Al-Aqsa for Ramadan, Palestinians report curbs
- The Al-Aqsa compound is a central symbol of Palestinian identity and also a frequent flashpoint
JERUSALEM: Israeli police said Monday that they would deploy in force around the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins this week, as Palestinian officials accused Israel of imposing restrictions at the compound.
Over the course of the month of fasting and prayer, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians traditionally attend prayers at Al-Aqsa — Islam’s third-holiest site, located in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed.
Arad Braverman, a senior Jerusalem police officer, said forces would be deployed “day and night” across the compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, and in the surrounding area.
He said thousands of police would also be on duty for Friday prayers, which draw the largest crowds of Muslim worshippers.
Braverman said police had recommended issuing 10,000 permits for Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, who require special permission to enter Jerusalem.
He did not say whether age limits would apply, adding that the final number of people would be decided by the government.
The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate said in a separate statement it had been informed that permits would again be restricted to men over 55 and women over 50, mirroring last year’s criteria.
It said Israeli authorities had blocked the Islamic Waqf — the Jordanian?run body administering the site — from carrying out routine preparations, including installing shade structures and setting up temporary medical clinics.
A Waqf source confirmed the restrictions and said 33 of its employees had been barred from entering the compound in the week before Ramadan.
The Al-Aqsa compound is a central symbol of Palestinian identity and also a frequent flashpoint.
Under long?standing arrangements, Jews may visit the compound — which they revere as the site of their second temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD — but they are not permitted to pray there.
Israel says it is committed to maintaining this status quo, though Palestinians fear it is being eroded.
Braverman reiterated Monday that no changes were planned.
In recent years, a growing number of Jewish ultranationalists have challenged the prayer ban, including far?right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, who prayed at the site while serving as national security minister in 2024 and 2025.
