THERE was no warmth to the announcements of a rapprochement between Israel and Turkey this week. The two governments have spent the past three years of a six-year period of tension negotiating the deal that restores full diplomatic relations. But when it was finally agreed, prime ministers Binyamin Netanyahu and Binali Yildarim gave separate press conferences. There was no festive summit, just a recognition by two regional powers that they cannot afford to remain at loggerheads during such a volatile period.
Israel agreed three years ago to apologise and to pay compensation for an incident in May 2010, when Israeli naval commandos intercepted a flotilla of boats that was attempting to reach Gaza. It resulted in the deaths of ten Turkish pro-Palestinian activists. (The Israeli commandos were attacked with metal pipes before they started shooting.) Talks then bogged down over each side’s additional demands. The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, eager to present himself as the protector of the Palestinian people, demanded that Israel lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip. Israel insisted that the Turkish government close down a Hamas headquarters in Istanbul which Israeli intelligence officials claim has been used to direct terror operations within Israel.
In the end, both sides were forced to give up most of their demands. The blockade of Gaza...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/297MdWI
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