Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and his Turkish counterpart Balut Chebushulu, who is visiting the country, are making joint statements to the media at this time (Wednesday).
This is the Turkish Foreign Minister's first visit to Israel in 15 years, and it takes place as part of a process of renewed rapprochement between the two countries.
Foreign Minister Lapid said in his opening remarks: "My friend, Foreign Minister: Israel and Turkey are two regional powers that share a common history. In God's wrath we will first be revealed to Abraham according to the Book of Genesis."
"We will not deny that there have been ups and downs in our relations, but we remember that Turkey was one of the first to recognize Israel. Nations with a long history know how to open new chapters and that is what we are doing today."
After years of tension, fueled by President Erdogan's antisemitic remarks, Turkey decided to change its policy toward Israel about a year ago.
The process began with telephone conversations between Erdogan and President Herzog, and is now escalating further with the visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister.
Ankara is interested in tightening ties with Israel for several reasons, including the need for natural gas - especially in the wake of the war in Ukraine - and Erdogan's desire to improve his ties with the Biden administration, an issue he believes Israel can help him with.
On the other hand, Turkey sees itself as the "flag bearer" of the Palestinian issue, as Chebushulu stated only yesterday during his visit to Ramallah.
In Jerusalem, the new wind blowing from Turkey is being treated positively but cautiously, and the improvement of relations is being conditioned on a significant reduction in Hamas' activity in the country.
In addition, there is a fear that Erdogan may frustrate the process through provocative statements against Israel, as he has often done in the past.
Chebushulu's visit was overshadowed by some tension as a result of the Turkish foreign minister's intention to visit the Temple Mount without Israeli escort.
It was eventually agreed between the states that Chebushulu would go up the mountain as part of what was defined as a "private visit."
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