MKs, rabbis pay secret visit to Turkey
Deputy finance minister leads delegation attempting to heal rift between Jerusalem and Ankara
A delegation of rabbis Israeli legislators and rabbis secretly visited Turkey last week. The group, headed by Deputy Finance Minister Yitzhak Cohen, met with Turkish officials and talked about ways to improve the relationship between the two countries.
The delegation consisted of a number of MKs from ultra-Orthodox party Shas, as well as rabbis from various European countries, Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Sunday.
The Foreign Ministry reportedly opposed the Turkey visit, but those who traveled were given the necessary backing and instruction, including the approval of the Prime Minister’s Office, nonetheless.
The delegation, which met with Turkish parliament members, including some from Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development party, at hotels in Ankara and Istanbul, was invited by Turkish organizations that deal with interfaith issues.
The two countries, formerly regional allies, have experienced deepening animosity in recent years. Ankara demands that Israel formally apologize for the deaths of nine Turkish citizens, killed by Israeli commandos in May 2010 aboard a ship attempting to breach Israel’s naval embargo of Gaza. The delegation repeated Israel’s official stance that it would not issue such an apology, but that it was willing to express condolences and pay some compensation to the casualties’ families.