Erdogan Surprises Tel Aviv with Positive Statements about Jews, Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the media after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Turkey, December 20, 2021. PPO/Handout via Reuters
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the media after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Turkey, December 20, 2021. PPO/Handout via Reuters
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Erdogan Surprises Tel Aviv with Positive Statements about Jews, Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the media after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Turkey, December 20, 2021. PPO/Handout via Reuters
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the media after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Turkey, December 20, 2021. PPO/Handout via Reuters

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took Jewish political and spiritual leaders in Israel by surprise when he said that relations with Israel were “vital for the security and stability of the region” and spoke optimistically about the potential for improving ties.

His remarks were made during a meeting at the presidential palace in Ankara with Turkey’s chief rabbi, along with a group of rabbis and heads of Jewish religious communities from countries of the Islamic world.

He said that despite differences with Israel over its policies toward Palestinians, “our relations with Israel in the fields of economy, trade and tourism are progressing in their own way.”

The government seeks to achieve a fair and permanent peace between Israel and Palestine based on mutual respect, Erdogan stressed.

An Israeli political official said that Erdogan’s statements “are surprising and not familiar.”

“They represent a strong message that must be assessed and responded to as appropriate.”

The Times of Israel website deemed his statements “incredibly positive.”

Earlier this week, Istanbul hosted the inaugural conference of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States (ARIS) to discuss Jewish law and exchange experiences of supporting Jewish life in Muslim-majority countries.

In attendance were rabbis representing more than 10 countries, including Iran, Egypt, Tunisia, Albania, Kosovo, the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Kazakhstan and Russia, as well as Turkey, whose chief rabbinate served as hosts to the conference.

During his meeting with the rabbis in Ankara, Erdogan spoke in very strong terms against antisemitism and Islamophobia and reiterated the Turkish stance that denying the Holocaust is a crime against humanity.



UN: Iran Aid Budget Will Need to Double Post-War

FILE PHOTO: A view shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike on a building on Monday, after the ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran, in Tehran, Iran, June 26, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: A view shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike on a building on Monday, after the ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran, in Tehran, Iran, June 26, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
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UN: Iran Aid Budget Will Need to Double Post-War

FILE PHOTO: A view shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike on a building on Monday, after the ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran, in Tehran, Iran, June 26, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: A view shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike on a building on Monday, after the ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran, in Tehran, Iran, June 26, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

The most senior UN official in Iran said Tuesday the organization’s humanitarian and development aid budget to the country would need to be doubled following the war with Israel.

Stefan Priesner, the UN resident coordinator in Iran, said he hoped the international community would step up with more funding.

“We are now doing the budgeting” for 2025, he told a press briefing in Geneva.
“It’s a significant increase,” he said. “It’s a bit early to say how much we exactly need. But we certainly would expect a doubling of the funding.”

He said that last year’s UN budget for development and humanitarian affairs in Iran was $75 million -- roughly $50 million for refugees and $25 million for the development program.

Iran hosts the largest number of refugees in the world -- around 3.5 million -- most of them from Afghanistan.

Speaking from Tehran, Priesner said he hoped aid and development would be seen as separate from other issues and the situation would trigger the international community to increase its support, according to AFP.

Priesner indicated that the UN normally has 50 international staff in Iran and about 500 local staff.

Although some employees and their families had to leave their homes when Israel’s bombardment began, he said normal operations had resumed on Sunday.

On June 13, Israel launched a major bombing campaign against Iran, killing top military commanders and nuclear scientists.

The Israeli strikes hit military bases, nuclear sites and residential areas across Iran.

Iran retaliated with waves of missiles and drone strikes, hitting cities in Israel. US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between the two sides on June 24.

Priesner said that in 2022, the UN and the Iranian government agreed a five-year program on public health, socio-economic resilience, environmental protection, disaster reduction and management, and drug control.

The UN is now in talks with Tehran on “how to adapt the program to meet emerging needs” following the conflict with Israel.