Ramadan 2022: Turkey's Erdogan says Palestinians must enter Israel during holy month

President highlights shared energy interests of Turkey and Israel

Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Ankara in March. AFP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told his Israeli counterpart that Palestinians must be allowed to enter Israel during Ramadan.

In a phone call with President Isaac Herzog, Mr Erdogan also welcomed recent Israeli and Palestinian statements calling for the easing of tension.

Turkey and Israel have recently improved relations, with energy a conciliatory force.

Mr Erdogan told Mr Herzog that synergy in the field of energy was mutually beneficial for their countries and that he hoped the momentum built in recent talks would continue, his office said.

Mr Herzog visited Turkey last month for talks with Mr Erdogan and the Turkish leader has said he would send his foreign and energy ministers to Israel for talks.

Regional rivals Turkey and Israel expelled ambassadors in 2018 and have often traded barbs over the Palestinian conflict, Turkish support for the Hamas militant group that runs Gaza, and other issues.

Turkey, which supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has said it believes a rapprochement with Israel would also help to find a solution to the issue, but that it would not abandon commitments to Palestinians for better ties with Israel.

On Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he would visit Israel and Palestine with Energy Minister Fatih Donmez in May and discuss the appointment of ambassadors with his Israeli counterpart during the visit.