Turkey and Israel to Normalize Ties After 6-year Hiatus

Turkish Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım on Monday announced the signing of a Turkish Israeli deal to normalize relations between the two, after six years of ‘strained ties.’

Turkish and Israeli delegations, on Sunday, have met in Rome to finalize details of the deal.

The Turkish-Israeli affairs were suspended in 2010, after the Israeli attack on Mavi Marmara from the “Gaza Freedom Flotilla,” in which ten activists were killed.

According to Hurriyet Daily News, The Israeli delegation, led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s special envoy, Joseph Ciechanover, and the Turkish delegation led by Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioğlu, also a former ambassador to Israel, met in Rome on June 26, Büşra Arslantaş of CNN Türk reported.

PNN further reports that Turkey has demanded Israel fulfill three conditions prior to any normalization in ties, namely, an apology for the Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara, compensation to the families of the deceased and an end to the embargo on Gaza.

Also of interest: 06/23/16 Flotilla Coalition: Women’s Boat to Gaza Presented at the European Parliament