Herzog Flies Turkish Airspace Ban Via Azerbaijan Airlines

Translated & summarized from Hamal by baba

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Hebrew · 3 newsrooms covering

Israeli President Isaac Herzog circumvented Turkey's ban on Israeli government aircraft by flying on an Azerbaijani airline through Turkish airspace to attend a conference in Baku. Representatives from Iran, Pakistan, and the Palestinian Authority walked out during Herzog's speech, while Qatar's Emir remained. The incident highlights ongoing tensions between Turkey and Azerbaijan, exacerbated by issues including Azerbaijan's hijab ban in schools and its ties with Israel.

The story in 5 lines · by baba

Israeli President Isaac Herzog flew on an Azerbaijani airline through Turkish airspace to bypass Turkey's ban on Israeli government planes.
Representatives from Iran, Pakistan, and the Palestinian Authority walked out during Herzog's speech at a conference in Baku.
Turkey has prohibited Israeli government aircraft from its airspace, impacting President Herzog's travel plans.
The visit occurs amid rising tensions between Turkey and Azerbaijan over issues including hijab bans in schools and Baku's ties with Israel.
Qatar's Emir remained in the hall during Herzog's speech, in contrast to other Arab and Muslim nations' representatives.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog flew to Baku, Azerbaijan, on an AZAL Azerbaijani Airlines flight to circumvent Turkey's ban on Israeli government aircraft in its airspace. The flight, J222, departed Tel Aviv on Wednesday and landed in Baku on Thursday, passing through Turkish airspace, according to Middle East Eye, which cited a Turkish source familiar with the matter. The source stated that Azerbaijan did not inform Ankara of the Israeli president's flight. Herzog's team reportedly chose the civilian flight over a longer route via Greece, Bulgaria, and the Black Sea due to safety concerns related to ongoing attacks on vessels in the Black Sea.

Turkey has prohibited Israeli government planes from using its airspace, and the Israeli government no longer requests permission, acknowledging Ankara's stance. While Turkish airspace remains closed to official Israeli flights, civilian flights by Israeli and foreign companies are still permitted to and from Tel Aviv. This is not the first time Turkey's restrictions have impacted Herzog's travel; in 2024, a similar ban forced him to cancel a visit to Azerbaijan, and in April, he took an eight-hour detour to Kazakhstan to avoid Turkish airspace.

The summit in Baku, the 7th Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), also saw representatives from Iran, Kuwait, Pakistan, and the Palestinian Authority walk out during Herzog's speech. Qatar's Emir, however, remained in the hall. The summit includes Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Chinese Special Envoy Wang Yi, among other international dignitaries.

The visit occurs amidst growing tensions between Turkey and Azerbaijan, partly stemming from Azerbaijan's ban on female students wearing hijabs in schools. This issue, coupled with criticism of Baku's ties with Israel, has led to an exchange of accusations between the two nations, with Azerbaijan's ruling party directly criticizing Turkey's ruling party over perceived interference in its internal affairs.