Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon calls on Turkey to end its relationship with Hamas, if it wants to normalize ties with Israel, during a press conference on his official visit to Switzerland.
But even then, Ya’alon is “not sure” if a political settlement will be reached.
“We are ready to settle this problem, but we have our own conditions. Turkey is hosting the Hamas external headquarters for terror in Istanbul. We can’t accept this. Turkey is supporting Hamas, generally speaking. This should be, of course, discussed.”
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon speaks at the INSS conference on January 19, 2015 (Youtube screenshot)
Ya’alon blames the breakdown in ties between the two countries on Turkey and its President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“We didn’t initiate a deterioration in the relationship. It was a Turkish initiative, Erdogan’s initiative to deteriorate the relationship. Since the Mavi Marmara flotille, we’ve tried hard to settle it. We failed. We try again and again,” Ya’alon tells journalists
“It’s been renewed recently. Is it because of the conflict between Turkey and Russia? Maybe,” he says. “I’m not sure that we’re going to reach settlement — it may be — but they have to address our conditions for any political settlement.”
— Judah Ari Gross
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