In secret meeting, Israel and Turkey agree to revive ties

During a secret meeting held yesterday in Switzerland representatives of Israel and Turkey formulated a memorandum of understanding that would allow for the revival of close diplomatic relations between the two countries, Channel 10 reports.

The meeting comes after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s talk of improved ties between the two governments.

Relations between the former allies have grown strained in recent years with the rise of Erdogan’s Islamic-oriented Justice and Development party to national leadership, and broke down almost completely after the 2010 Israeli naval raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla that killed 10 Turkish citizens aboard the ship Mavi Marmara. Turkey has become one of the most vociferous critics of Israeli policies toward Gaza, and reconciliation efforts between the two — including an apology by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2013 — have repeatedly failed to end the standoff.