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Turkey, Israel initial accord to pave way to resume El Al flights to Turkey 

A new aviation agreement would pave the way for Israeli airline companies’ flights to Turkey, which were suspended due to security concerns in 2007. 

(Foreground L to R) a Boeing 737 aircraft of Israel's El Al and an Airbus A321 aircraft of Turkish Airlines.
This picture taken on Dec. 21, 2021, shows a view of (foreground L to R) a Boeing 737 aircraft of Israel's El Al and an Airbus A321 aircraft of Turkish Airlines at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, east of Tel Aviv. — GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey and Israel, former foes inching toward normalization for one and a half years, have taken new steps toward reconciliation as they initialed an aviation accord and announced the reopening of the Israeli commercial office in Istanbul. 

The presidents of the two countries, Isaac Herzog of Israel and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, also talked on the phone today, Turkey’s Communication Directorate announced. The two leaders discussed bilateral and regional issues and expressed the will to further bilateral relations through “concrete steps.” Herzog also extended his good wishes to Erdogan for Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha that starts on July 9.

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