Turkey reiterates terms for ending Israeli rift
Relations between the Muslim NATO power and the Jewish state fell apart in May 2010 after Israeli commandos raided a Turkish aid ship to enforce a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and killed nine Turks in clashes with activists on board.
Relations between the two countries, both vital allies of Washington in an unstable region, have been deadlocked since.
Turkey says for ties to be normalized Israel must apologize, pay compensation to the families of the dead and lift the Gaza blockade. Israel, which denies wrongdoing, has offered statements of regret, rather than contrition.
“Our response to those who have called us to talk about Israel has been clear. As long as Israel fails to meet any of these conditions, normalization is not possible,” Erdogan told reporters during a visit to the Ukrainian capital.
“If there is a mediator who can guarantee, ensure all three of these, we will say ‘yes’. Otherwise, mediators should not waste their time,” he said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said last week he was open to issuing an “expression of regret on the killing of innocents”, similar to a statement from the United States after it mistakenly killed 24 Pakistani troops last November.
Turkish officials have made no direct comment on Lieberman’s remarks but Erdogan’s comments on Thursday suggested Ankara would not accept such a statement, which Lieberman said would not amount to an apology.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Writing by Jonathon Burch; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Andrew Osborn)