The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) welcomes the warming ties that are developing between Israel and Turkey. 

Israeli President Isaac Herzog made a historic visit to Ankara to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This was the first official visit after more than a decade of strained relations between the two nations.

President Erdogan, standing alongside President Herzog, announced that this “historic visit will be a turning point in our relations”. He continued to say, “Our mutual goal is to revive dialogue based on respect.” 

This collaboration follows a series of other normalised and stronger ties with other Arab countries, such as Sudan, Morocco, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. 

More and more nations are recognising the benefits of partnering with Israel across many fields. We request the South African Government to take note of these positive developments and work to improve ties between our country and Israel. 

Rowan Polovin
National Chairman
South African Zionist Federation