Israel looks to improve ties with Turkey post-Iran deal
by Daily Sabah with Reuters
ISTANBULJul 22, 2015 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by Daily Sabah with Reuters
Jul 22, 2015 12:00 am
Efforts by Israel and Turkey to restore their once strong relationship could be helped by the
common threats they face from ISIS militants and Iran, a senior Israeli diplomat said on Tuesday.
Asked where the reconciliation efforts stood, Dore Gold, the director-general of Israel's Foreign Ministry, told reporters: "I think there is an effort by both sides to see whether we can move forward, how do you say, to turn over a new leaf and see whether we can improve our relations."
"The threats that Israel faces are the threats that Turkey faces - in particular the threats of ISIS and above all the threat of Iran. Iran is active in trying to undermine Turkey and hopefully we can find an agreed path to putting our disagreements behind us," Gold said. He declined to elaborate on the alleged threat to Turkey from Iran. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, previously Turkey's prime minister and now its president, had long opposed international sanctions aimed at curbing Tehran's disputed nuclear program.
Gold, a longtime adviser to Netanyahu, held an unannounced meeting with his Turkish counterpart Feridun Sinirlioğlu in Rome last month to explore ways of improving ties, Israeli officials said.
In March 2013, during U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Israel, Netanyahu apologized to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the phone for the Mavi Marmara incident in which six civilian ships in the aid flotilla were attacked in international waters by Israeli commandos on May 31, 2010, as they tried to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.
While nine Turkish activists were killed and 30 other people injured, including one activist who died nearly four years after being critically injured, the event led to the deterioration of relations and the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador in September 2011. However the apology by Netanyahu in 2013 was not followed by an agreement on compensation or the total lifting of the blockade on Gaza and consequently, relations have remained at a low level though some diplomatic attempts have been made.In May 2014, Istanbul's 7th High Criminal Court ordered the arrest of four Israeli officials – former Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, former navy Chief Eliezer Marom, former head of military intelligence Amos Yadlin and former air force intelligence chief Avishai Levy – who are being tried in absentia. Istanbul's public prosecutor's office demanded that the suspects be sentenced to prison terms amounting to a total of 18,032 years.
Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.
You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.