Israel, Turkey set to hold fresh détente talks in Geneva

Negotiations will reportedly focus on Gaza blockade and Hamas presence in Ankara

By Daniel Douek 9 February 2016, 11:45 pm

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Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets members of parliament as he arrives for a swearing-in ceremony at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, June 23, 2015. (AFP/ADEM ALTAN)

Israeli and Turkish negotiating teams are set to meet Wednesday in Switzerland, as part of ongoing efforts to reach a détente between the two once-close allies, Western diplomats said.

Israel will be represented at the Geneva talks by Joseph Ciechanover, a former head of the Foreign Ministry appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ciechanover also represented Israel at the UN probe into the IDF raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla in 2010, which led to the deaths of 10 Turkish nationals and exacerbated a freeze between the two countries. His Turkish counterpart at Wednesday’s talks is said to be Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu.

According to a high-ranking Israeli official quoted by Haaretz, most of the issues on the agenda have been resolved, but two major hurdles remain: Turkey’s demand that Israel end its military blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip — designed by Israel to prevent Hamas importing weaponry — and Israel’s demand that Turkey put an end to the Hamas presence in its capital.

Footage taken from the 'Mavi Marmara' security cameras, showing activists preparing to attack IDF soldiers, May 2010. (Photo credit: IDF Spokesperson / FLASH90) — Footage taken from the ‘Mavi Marmara’ security cameras, showing activists preparing to attack IDF soldiers, May 2010. (Photo credit: IDF Spokesperson / FLASH90)

After being expelled from Gaza by Israel five years ago, senior Hamas official Salah Arouri set up offices in Ankara, and commenced gathering funds and planning terror attacks, including the abduction and murder of three Israeli teenagers in 2014.

The current talks continue attempts to re-normalize Jerusalem-Ankara relations after Netanyahu, prompted by US President Barack Obama at the end of his visit to the region in 2013, apologized for the flotilla deaths.

“We strive for peace with all our neighbors, but it has to be mutual,” Netanyahu said Tuesday during a tour of the Arava in southern Israel.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who last month signaled his readiness to mend ties with Israel, on Tuesday hosted a delegation of US Jewish leaders at his official Ankara residence, including a Netanyahu confidant who had met with the prime minister in Jerusalem ahead of the Ankara trip.