Turkish delegation to arrive for compensation talks
Highest level Turkish delegation to visit Israel since 'Mavi Marmara' raid set to come to Jerusalem next week to continue reconciliation.
By HERB KEINONMavi Marmara 311(photo credit: Stringer Turkey / Reuters)
The highest level Turkish delegation to visit Israel since the Mavi Marmara incident three years ago is expected in Jerusalem next week to continue discussions about Israeli compensation to the families of the nine Turks killed on the ship as it tried to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza.According to Turkish media reports, the delegation will be headed by Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirliog ˘lu, a former Turkish ambassador to Israel. He is expected to meet with National Security Council head Yaakov Amidror and Joseph Ciechanover.Amidror and Ciechanover went to Turkey last week to begin talks on the compensation payments. The two delegations agreed to a mechanism by which compensation would be calculated, though an actual sum was not yet discussed.Compensation payment to the Turks is one of Ankara’s conditions for normalizing ties with Israel, following Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s apology to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in late March for “any mistakes that might have led to the loss of life or injury.”One Israeli official, when asked about the upcoming round of talks in Israel, said that Netanyahu’s decision to issue the apology was “not easy” and “complex,” but was done “in an effort to try and reestablish relations with Turkey. Ultimately, it is our hope that the Turks will reciprocate in kind.”
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