JERUSALEM (JTA) — Turkey, Jordan and Israel held joint search and rescue maneuvers, a Turkish newspaper reported.
The exercise reportedly took place two weeks ago at the Turkish Special Forces Command’s training range, the Daily Zaman reported Monday.
The report could signal an improvement in relations between Israel and Turkey, which have been strained in recent months.
Zaman also reported Monday that technical problems that caused a two-year delay in delivering Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles to Turkey have been resolved, and Israel will pay compensation to Turkey for the delay.
Finally, the newspaper reported that Israel’s Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer will visit Turkey on Nov. 24.
Israel-Turkey relations had grown tense since the Gaza War, with Turkey taking the lead in some international forums in demanding that Israel be held accountable for alleged war crimes.
Last month, Turkey kept Israel from joining a NATO alliance exercise, reportedly in retaliation for Israel’s failure to deliver the UAVs on time and unrelated to diplomatic tensions.
Also in October, Israel’s Foreign Ministry summoned Turkey’s acting ambassador over a Turkish television program that depicted Israeli soldiers shooting Palestinian children.
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