In a visit to the region, which included a stop at a Gaza school, Ban Ki-moon bemoaned the plight of Gazans, saying that “the closure of Gaza suffocates its people, stifles its economy and impedes reconstruction efforts”. In a similar, parallel ceremony, Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold signed the pact in Jerusalem.
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Under the agreement, Israel would compensate the families of the deceased and injured victims in a sum of about 20 million US dollars, and would allow Turkey to carry out rehabilitation projects in Gaza.
Feridun Sinirlioglu, the undersecretary to the Turkish foreign ministry, and Israeli representative Joseph Ciechanover met in Rome to discuss the deal, according to the Turkish news source Hurriyet. The highly anticipated agreement comes six years after the Israeli raid killed 10 Turkish activists as the worldwide aid flotilla they were participating in sought to break the blockade on the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli ultra-nationalist Jewish Home faction said Tuesday it will vote against the reconciliation deal between Turkey and Israel when it comes to vote on Wednesday. However, it insists that it’s sticking to its policies to oppose Israel.
“From the moment you signed it, you are making this blockade legal”, Kilicdaroglu said, addressing the authorities. Israel says the Gaza blockade is needed to curb arms smuggling by Hamas, an Islamist group that last fought a war with Israel in 2014.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were suspended after Israeli troops stormed a Gaza-bound aid ship in global waters in May 2010, killing 10 Turkish activists. Nine Turks, including a dual American citizen, were killed.
The accord, announced on Monday by the two countries’ prime ministers, was a rare rapprochement in the divided Middle East, driven by the prospect of lucrative Mediterranean gas deals as well as mutual fears over growing security risks.
In Israel, there has been broad criticism of the pact, particularly its agreement to pay compensation to the families of the Turkish casualties and the inability to secure the return of the remains of two dead soldiers and possibly two Israeli civilians whom Hamas is believed to be holding.
A statement by the party said that the party Chair and Education Minister, Naftali Bennett, and Justice Minister, Ayelet Shaked, will vote against the deal in the security cabinet meeting.
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After visiting Gaza on his final trip to Palestine before his term of office expires in December, Ban held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
