Turkey blocked Israeli President Herzog’s flight to COP29 in Azerbaijan, officials confirm

ANKARA — Turkey effectively blocked Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s participation in the COP29 summit in Baku earlier this week by denying permission for his aircraft to fly over Turkish airspace, official Turkish sources confirmed to Al-Monitor on Sunday.

Ahead of the COP29 leaders' summit, which took place in Baku from Nov. 12-13, Israeli officials submitted a request for Herzog’s aircraft to fly through Turkish airspace en route to the Azerbaijani capital.

“Permission for flyover was not granted,” official Turkish sources told Al-Monitor, confirming initial reports in the Azerbaijani media outlet Qafqazinfo earlier Sunday.

Of the two main flight routes from Israel to Baku, one involves passing over Iran, while the other requires use of Turkish airspace.

Herzog was set to lead the Israeli delegation at the summit, but his visit was canceled earlier this month, with the Israeli presidency citing security reasons for the cancellation, according to Israeli media reports. The Israeli delegation, which included the ministers for environmental protection, energy, and transportation, ultimately traveled to Baku, though it remains unclear which route they took. No further requests for flyover rights were submitted to Turkey, and charter flights between Tel Aviv and Baku continue to operate as normal.

Attempts by Azerbaijani officials to obtain Turkey’s approval for the flight were unsuccessful, according to Azerbaijani media.

In March 2022, Herzog became the first Israeli president to visit Turkey since 2007, amid efforts to normalize Turkey-Israel ties after more than a decade of turbulent relations largely due to disagreements over the Palestinian issue. By August of the same year, the two nations reinstated ambassadors, signifying a full normalization of ties. However, this détente was short-lived.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has positioned himself as a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, has intensified criticism of Israel following the Hamas-Israel conflict that began on Oct. 7. In late October, Israel announced it was reassessing diplomatic ties with Turkey, indicating that its ambassador would not return to Ankara after departing due to security concerns amid large-scale anti-Israel protests.

In response, Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel in November 2023. Turkey does not classify Hamas as a terrorist organization, and the group’s political leaders are able to travel freely within the country. On Oct. 28, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with top figures in Hamas’ political wing, just two days after Israeli forces killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza.