Israel and Turkey have reached an agreement to normalize relations, unnamed Israeli officials said Thursday.
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Diplomatic ties between Turkey and Israel declined after May 2010, when Israeli commandos killed eight Turkish citizens and an American of Turkish origin in worldwide waters on the Mavi Marmara ship.
As part of the framework agreement, Israel will set up a compensation fund for those who were killed or injured in the raid on the Turkish aid ship, the Mavi Marmara, while Turkey agrees to drop all legal claims against Israel, according to the Israeli officials.
Turkey had requested an apology from Israel, compensation for the families of those killed in the attack as well as the removal of Israel’s blockade on Gaza.
The IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, the charity responsible for the ill-fated 2010 flotilla to Gaza, has slammed the announcement of negotiations for renewed diplomatic ties between Israel and Turkey. The IDF insisted that the civilians attacked the Israeli soldiers with metal bars and other weapons.
All Turkish lawsuits against Israel will be cancelled, and Turkey will prevent senior Hamas operative Salah Aruri from entering its territory and acting from there, the source added.
Among those attending the Wednesday talks in Zurich, an official at the Prime Minister’s Office said, were National Security Council chief Yossi Cohen (the incoming head of the Mossad spy agency), former Foreign Ministry director-general Joseph Ciechanover (who serves as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s point man on Israeli-Turkish relations) and Feridun Sinirlioğlua, the current director-general of the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
With recent tensions between Turkey and Russia, Israeli officials say Ankara has expressed new interest in importing natural gas from Israel.
Among the details of the agreement signed by the two countries, a new gas pipeline between Turkey and Israel is believed to be in the works.
In a rapidly-changing regional context, mainly Sunni Muslim Turkey’s relations with mainly Shiite Iran – Israel’s arch foe – are deteriorating as Tehran assists Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who Ankara wants ousted.
On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, known for his angry outbursts at Israel, spoke in favour of normalising ties with Israel, which could benefit the Palestinians as well.
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An AFP journalist at the scene of the Qalandiya incident said the wounded Palestinian could be seen sitting on a stretcher as security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse journalists.
