‘Israel wants to host next flotilla compensation talks’

A senior diplomatic source in Ankara said Saturday that Israel is interested in hosting the second round of talks regarding compensation to Turkish families whose relatives were killed aboard the 2010 flotilla to Gaza.

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Fereydoun Sinirlioglu will discuss the matter with Israeli representatives next week in order to set a date for the renewal of negotiations, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported Saturday.

The source added that he expects that the second round of bilateral talks will be held within a few weeks. He also said that the unwillingness of the Mavi Marmara victims’ families to drop claims against Israel will not prevent the full normalization of relations between the two countries.

The first round of talks, which were held Monday, were described as a “positive” start, as the sides attempted to thaw three years of estranged relations through US-brokered negotiations.

Turkey’s Vice Prime Minister, Bulent Arinc, told reporters at a press conference that both parties thought the talks were held “in good spirits” and that they had agreed on the main points, but were working out the details.

One of Turkey’s sticking points was that the families of the nine Turks killed aboard the Mavi Marmara, which was en route to the Gaza Strip to break the naval blockade on the Hamas-ruled territory, be compensated fairly. A framework was said to be being devised, under which payments will be based on the victims’ age, family circumstances, and other factors.

Arinc said that Israel’s payment would be a “large step forward” toward normalizing relations between the two countries.

The detente began in late March after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — at the urging of the US — apologized to his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for any “operational errors” that caused the loss of life.

Victims’ family members have filed around 40 lawsuits against Israeli officers and officials they deem responsible for the incident. Their trials are currently being held in absentia in Istanbul.

If Israel and Turkey do eventually reach an agreement on compensation, Turkish legal authorities or the Turkish parliament may decide to dismiss all the charges.

Israeli legal experts said the negotiated compensation agreement would be adopted as a law, preventing future criminal lawsuits against Israeli soldiers and officials.