The reconciliation negotiations between Israel and Turkey will be resumed today in Rome, where representatives of the two countries will attempt to complete the negotiations and end a crisis that has been afflicting relations between Israel and Turkey since 2010. Jerusalem believes that a reconciliation agreement will be achieved this week, and perhaps in the next 24 hours, saying that it depends mainly on how flexible the Turkish side is. Israel is planning another discussion by the security cabinet later this week if an agreement is reached.
Agreements on the most important obstacle to reconciliation the blockade on the Gaza Strip - were reached in the negotiations between Israel and Turkey in recent weeks, mainly in a series of meetings in Europe between the two countries' negotiating teams. Turkey agreed to accept absolute IDF control and restriction on the Gaza Strip border passages, including access by sea, receiving in return an Israeli commitment to allow the almost unlimited entry of Turkish goods into the Gaza Strip via Ashdod Port.
Another issue that delayed the negotiations was the activity of Hamas headquarters in Turkey. It appears that Hamas will continue operating in Turkish territory, but the Turks will undertake to restrict its operations to diplomacy and politics, and will allow no military operations or support for such activity whatsoever from Turkish territory. It should be noted that Hamas leader Khaled Mashal visited Turkish capital Ankara last week, meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The meeting dealt with future relations between Turkey and Hamas following the imminent reconciliation agreement with Israel.
In the framework of the reconciliation agreement, Israel will pay Turkey $20 million in compensation for the Mavi Marmara incident in 2010, in which nine Turkish citizens were killed by IDF fire on board the ship on its way to the Gaza Strip. Turkey will disallow lawsuits against IDF officers and soldiers who took part in the mission that took control of the ship, from the senior officers serving at that time, such as then-IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, to all the soldiers who took part in the action.
A joint dialogue took place last week in Istanbul between two strategic research institutes: Mitvim The Israeli Institute for Regional Policy Studies and Turkish institute Global Political Trends Center. During the event, a senior Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, who came to meet a group of Israeli researchers, said, "There is a greater need for cooperation between Israel and Turkey, given the split between Fatah and Hamas, the developments in the Palestinians theater, and the looming period after Abu Mazen." In the meetings between the Israeli researchers and Turkish officials, Mitvim founder and head Dr. Nimrod Goren said, "Great optimism has been expressed concerning an approaching agreement. It is clear that the two countries are at the dawn of a new chapter in the relations between them."
If an agreement is signed today in Rome, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to announce it this evening after his meeting there with US Secretary of State John Kerry. Their meeting is expected to focus on efforts to renew the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, following the expected publication of the Quartet's upcoming report. The US hopes that renewal of ties between Israel and Turkey will also lead to progress on the Palestinian issue in the coming months.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 26, 2016
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