Turkey has sent a commercial attaché to its embassy in Tel Aviv in an effort to bolster trade relations with Israel, Arab News reported on its website on Friday.
The move comes despite continuing political tensions between the two countries over a range of issues including growing Turkish influence in Jerusalem and the plight of the Palestinian people.
Seli Nasi, an expert of Turkish-Israeli relations, described the appointment as positive, but added, “It is too early to say whether it will lead to a political reconciliation. The conflicts that prompted Turkey’s downgrading of diplomatic ties still remain.”
The appointment of an economic attaché also brings into focus conflicting trends in the relationship between the two countries said Gallia Lindenstrauss, a research fellow at the Tel Aviv based Institute for National Security Studies.
“On the one hand, the states seem to be on a collision course over Jerusalem and Gaza. On the other, there are still economic benefits from maintaining relations and even trying to improve the trade volume,” Lindenstrauss said.
Lindenstrauss added that the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv had been understaffed for years after long-running disagreements between Israel and Turkey. Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel earlier this year after 60 Palestinians were killed in clashes along the Gaza border, with Israel’s ambassador also returning from Ankara.
Nasi suggested that if Turkey’s appointment of an economic attaché to Israel is not followed by the return of ambassadors to their posts, it will indicate that economic cooperation will constitute the backbone of future relations between the countries.
Nasi also indicated that the move can be seen in the broader context of US-Turkish relations, saying, “At a time when Turkey and the US have been moving to repair ties, Turkey’s move can be read as a gesture of goodwill toward Washington.”
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