Turkey's Erdogan offers Israel's Herzog condolences for recent terror attacks

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Israel's President Isaac Herzog on Saturday night to offer his condolences to Herzog and the Israeli people following the painful terror attacks suffered by Israel during Passover and the Sabbath.

However, his call was primarily to express concern over the escalation of violence in Israel and the fragile security situation in Jerusalem, especially in the area of the Temple Mount.

Thanking Erdogan for his call, Herzog emphasized that Israel remains firmly committed to preserving freedom of worship and the status quo at the holy sites of all denominations and on the Temple Mount in particular.

Over the past year, a warm relationship has developed between President Isaac Hertzog and the Turkish President .  The two spoke on the phone when Erdogan telephoned to congratulate Herzog after the latter entered office in July 2021.

They have since had other conversations, but the relationship really gathered momentum during Herzog's state visit to Turkey in March last year, paving the way for the resumption of dialogue and cooperation between the two countries after a long hiatus.