Turkey says it will buy military systems from Israel

Turkey wants to resume military cooperation with Israel after the signing of a reconciliation agreement last week, and intends to acquire advanced technologies such as unmanned aerial vehicles and surveillance systems from the Jewish state, a security official tells the Turkish newspaper Today’s Zaman.

Turkish-Israeli relations are on the verge of a dramatic improvement after years of disconnect, following a secret meeting last week in Switzerland between senior Turkish and Israeli officials.

According to a PMO official, the agreement is to provide for: both countries to return their ambassadors; a cancellation of pending lawsuits against IDF soldiers; the establishment by Israel of a fund for the welfare of victims of the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident; a Turkish commitment not to tolerate any “terrorist activities” on its sovereign territory; Turkey barring from its soil Salah Arouri, a Hamas operative who allegedly orchestrated the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teens in the West Bank in June 2014; Turkey allowing Israel to lay down a gas pipeline on its soil; and the opening of immediate negotiations on the sale of natural gas from Israel to Turkey.