From the Liveblog of
Friday, July 11, 2014
Erdogan: No ‘normalizing’ of ties with Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleTurkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says there can be no normalizing of Turkish-Israeli ties as long as Israel continues its offensive in Gaza.
Turkey and Israel have been working toward improving ties that were soured after Israeli commandos stormed a pro-Palestinian ship in 2010, killing eight Turks and one Turkish-American affiliated with the Islamist IHH organization.
Israel apologized to Turkey for the deaths and agreed to pay compensation under a US-brokered arrangement in 2013. Turkish officials said in March the sides were close to reaching a deal to restore ties.
Erdogan tells Israel late Thursday: “You have to end this oppression. As long as it does not end, a normalizing of ties between Turkey and Israel is not possible.”
— AP and Times of Israel staff
The Times of Israel Community.