Turkey submits Israel deal to parliament for approval

Ratification was delayed by failed military coup; once authorized, Ankara and Jerusalem will exchange ambassadors, restore full ties

ISTANBUL, Turkey — Turkey on Wednesday submitted to parliament a deal to normalize ties with Israel delayed by the July 15 military coup attempt, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.

The agreement has been forwarded to parliament for ratification before the legislative body goes into summer recess later this month.

In June, Turkey and Israel signed a deal to restore their ties, which hit an all-time low after the 2010 raid by Israeli commandos on a Gaza-bound Turkish flotilla that left 10 Turks dead and several IDF soldiers wounded.

The text of the agreement submitted to parliament reaffirms that Israel will pay Turkey $20 million in compensation within 25 days.

The legal case targeting the Israeli commandos who staged the raid will also be dropped, the report said.

Israeli cabinet ministers in June approved the deal reached with Turkey, leaving Ankara to make the final ratification step.

But the Turkish government failed to send the deal to parliament because of time pressure created by the failed coup attempt by rogue elements in the military, which Turkey blames on US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen.

Once the normalization deal is ratified by parliament, Turkey and Israel will begin the process of exchanging ambassadors to fully restore their diplomatic ties.

It is not clear on which day the deal will be debated.

Israel had already offered compensation and an apology over the raid several years ago, but with the agreement it also eased slightly its part in the blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, transferring humanitarian aid from Ankara through Israel’s border crossings with the Strip.

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