Ankara: Prime Minister Turkey Tayyap Ardogan has announced that Turkish Navy’s warship will escort the civilian ship carrying aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
He said on Thursday that Turkey had taken steps to stop Israel unilaterally exploiting natural resources from the eastern Mediterranean, according to al-Jazeera’s Arabic translation of excerpts of an interview conducted in Turkish.
His comments came after Turkey’s ruling party said the country’s ties to Israel could be normalised if the Jewish state apologised for the killing of nine pro-Palestinian activists last year and accepted it should pay compensation to their families.
Turkish-Israeli ties hit a low last week after a UN report on the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid vessel last year in which the nine activists were killed. The report that Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza was legitimate but its raid on the flotilla trying to break the blockade was “excessive and unreasonable”.
Turkey has since expelled Israeli diplomats, cut military ties with the Jewish state, pledged to lobby other nations in support of the Palestinians’ statehood bid at the UN later this month and promised increased Turkish naval patrols in the Mediterranean.
Meanwhile Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that the worsening of ties “was not our choice”. “We respect the Turkish people and its traditions and want to improve ties,” Netanyahu said.
Israel has expressed regret for the loss of lives aboard the flotilla, but it has refused to apologise, saying its forces acted in self-defence.
Turkey, however, is still seeking an apology in order to normalise a relationship once seen as a cornerstone of regional stability.
“In fact, not all bridges are burned with Israel,” said Huseyin Celik, deputy chairman of the ruling Islamic Justice and Development party. “Our embassy in Israel is open, and the Israeli embassy in Ankara is open. The relations would return to the old days if Israel apologises and accepts to pay compensation.”
The rift with Israel led to a fierce debate between Erdogan’s party and the main opposition Republican People’s party, which called the government’s foreign policy “a fiasco”, drawing angry responses from cabinet ministers, who in turn accused the opposition of acting as “Israel’s advocate”.
Dear TNT Reader,
At The News Tribe, our mission is to bring you free, independent, and unbiased news and content that keeps you informed and empowered. We are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism, as we understand that we are a platform for truth.
Apart from independent global news coverage, we also commit our unique focus on the Muslim world. In an age marked by the troubling rise of Islamophobia and widespread misrepresentation of Muslims in Western media, we strive to provide accurate and fair coverage.
But to continue doing so, we need your support. Even a small donation of 1$ can make a big difference. Your contribution will help us maintain the quality of our news and counteract the negative narratives that are so prevalent.
Please consider donating today to ensure we can keep delivering the news that matters. Together, we can make a positive impact on the world, and work towards a more inclusive, informed global society.
Donate Monthly Subscription Annual Subscription