Erdogan: Turkey wants ‘sustainable ties’ with Israel no matter election result

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says that whatever the outcome of Israel’s election, he “wants to maintain sustainable ties” with Jerusalem based on “mutual sensitivities [and] common interests,” according to the official Anadolu news agency.

#BREAKING Regardless of election results, Türkiye wants to maintain sustainable ties with Israel on basis of mutual sensitivities, common interests pic.twitter.com/el4J5eNVum

— ANADOLU AGENCY (@anadoluagency) November 2, 2022

The comment comes as non-final results show a clear majority for the right-religious bloc led by former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who regularly clashed with the Turkish leader while in office.

Erdogan has long been a vocal critic of Israel and cut ties with Jerusalem in 2010 after the Gaza flotilla raid, but over the past year has moved to restore full diplomatic relations.