Herzog rejects, Rivlin praises Israel-Turkey deal

Criticizing Netanyahu for agreeing to compensate the families of Turks killed in the Mavi Marmara incident and not bringing home Israelis held captive in Gaza, opposition leader Isaac Herzog says the deal is “important,” but hedges his praise by saying Ankara “is the ally of Hamas.”

“Like in the [Gilad] Shalit incident and in Operation Protective Edge, Netanyahu is weak against Hamas because over the years he’s given in to the political threats of [Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor] Liberman and has been dragged along unnecessarily at the expense of Israeli citizens’ security interests,” he says.

Zionist Union #2 Tzipi Livni says she has to admit that she would have signed the same agreement if she had been in the government.

President Reuven Rivlin praises the accord to restore ties, saying that while many people feel hurt by the deal, “it’s for the sake of Israel’s interests.”

Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid says the deal with Turkey is “difficult to swallow, but states make agreements such as these.”

“There’s what we all feel and there’s the security and national interest, and they take precedence,” he says at a party meeting in the Knesset.