Netanyahu has apologized for the deaths, another Turkish condition for the resumption of diplomatic ties.
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Israel and Turkey have reached a reconciliation deal to end a six-year strain over the killing by Israeli soldiers of 10 Turkish activists aboard Mavi Marmara, the lead ship in a six-vessel convoy heading for Gaza, on 31 May 2010.
It has also found itself under increasing pressure over the lack of any progress on peace efforts with the Palestinians and has sought to build relationships with regional countries partly to counter such criticism.
Under the deal, Turkey will be able to send humanitarian aid to Gaza as well as carry out infrastructure projects including residential buildings and a 200-bed Turkish-Palestine Friendship Hospital.
“Very long discussions took place on the subject of the Gaza blockade and a decision has finally been reached with this agreement”.
Despite the blockade on Gaza, Israel allows hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid, construction materials, and food into Gaza every day.
Turkey won’t cut off its ties with Hamas, but it will limit the activities of Hamas leaders present in Ankara.
But speaking from Rome, where officials finalised the agreement, Binyamin Netanyahu made it clear the naval blockade would remain.
On Monday, months of talks between the two countries finally bore fruit, with Turkey announcing that a deal would be signed normalizing relations with Israel. It can come via the sea to Ashdod and there pass through our regulations and our security, and our procedures to Gaza.
Netanyahu also said the deal would give a big boost to the Israeli economy by opening the key Turkish market to Israeli natural gas exports and by providing a gateway to the European market as well.
“I mean positive, vast implications”, he said.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said late on Monday the two countries might appoint ambassadors “in a week or two”. “This is an important and hopeful signal for the stability of the region”.
Ban and Netanyahu also met with the families of presumed killed Israeli soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, whose bodies are being held by Hamas in Gaza. Although the two events might seem unrelated, they are connected in that one of the major factors driving reconciliation was cooperation on intelligence and counter-terrorism. And, based on the agreement, Turkey won’t allow anti-Israeli terrorist operations in its territory, including fundraising.
The Turkish aid organisation involved in the 2010 flotilla expressed its disappointment.
Ban mentioned increasing Palestinian rage over Israel’s almost 50 years of occupation, and concluded that the solutions need to be based “on mutual recognition of the legitimate claims of both people”, according to the Ynet news website.
And this Gazan resident also has his doubts.
Talal Abu Zarifa, a member of the Palestinian Democratic Front’s political bureau, said the deal “gets Israel out of being internationally isolated because of its crimes against the Palestinian people”.
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He stressed that Hamas highly trusts Turkey, adding “this confidence would not be affected even if the Turkish deal with Israel doesn’t include a full ending of the siege imposed on Gaza, and the Turkish attempts to convince Israel to fully end the siege would continue and there is no blame on Hamas”.
