Turkey and Israel Hold Talks to Thaw Ties
A top Israeli official has told the press that his government is holding talks with Turkey in an attempt to mend the ties between the two countries, seriously damaged seven months ago when the Israeli Defense Forces attacked a Turkish-flagged vessel causing 9 Turkish nationals to die.
According to Ron Dermer, an advisor to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel is ready to make a compromise both country “can live with.”
Turkey has already pulled out its ambassador from Tel Aviv in the wake of the tragedy that befell the Mavi Marmara ship that was sailing towards Gaza Strip to bring the inhabitants humanitarian aid.
Turkish authorities have demanded an official apology for what happened then and also claimed that the families of the people who died that day be financially compensated.
The first sign of a thaw after many months was the help Turkey provided as it sent aircraft and firefighters to put out the blaze in Israel last week.
After that moment Israel and Turkey have engaged in some talks in Switzerland.
Dormer said on Wednesday that Israel wishes Turkey to reinstate its ambassador and replace the raid from the international agenda.
The scandal broke out at the beginning of June, after the incident near Gaza, and deteriorated incrementally
throughout the summer.
Israel was under a lot of international pressure to inquire into what happened on Mavi Marmara.
Two boards of inquiry were set up, one led by an Israeli judge, and another, under international mandate, led by a former New Zealand PM.
Israeli officials refused to respond before the international board if the soldiers that participated in the incident were questioned.
They did answer before the Israeli board, and reiterated that they had acted within the frame of international law.
The international report was released in mid-September and stated that what happened in May to the Turkish nationals was a very brutal act, an assessment that coincided with the reports of eyewitnesses.
Israel was extremely angry over this report, considering it biased and totally hostile, while Turkey cheered it and said that a formal apology from Israel could put an end to the conflict.
Israel refused to apologize, and the tension went on until last week, when the Turkish Interior Minister said that Israel is the only country that was not prejudiced by the U.S. diplomatic cables leak to WikiLeaks, thus alluding that Israel may have something to do with the release of the documents.
