Syria, Gas and everything in between
Turkey and Israel are finally close to a reconciliation deal. Officials
from both sides are meeting in Jerusalem to hammer out the details of Israeli
compensation to the families of those killed in the Mavi
Marmara clash of
2010, hoping to finally thaw relations between the once friendly and
cooperative countries. The Times of Israel reports:
The central issue for the week’s meeting was the sum of the Israeli compensation to the families of the Turkish citizens who were killed after Israeli naval commandos were attacked with clubs and metal bars while attempting to commandeer the Marmara.
According to earlier reports, Israel has offered $100,000 to each
family, while the families were asking for $1 million each. During a previous
round of talks, in Turkey, a framework was said to have been devised under
which payments would be based on the victims’ ages, family circumstances and
other factors.
In addition to the reparations, Turkey
wants Israel to ease its blockade of Gaza, while Israel wants Turkey to drop
its criminal lawsuits against those involved in the Marmara fiasco. The White
House, which would be the biggest beneficiary of this
détente, is hoping these issues don’t prove obstacles in the coming days.
Even if the two sides agree to a deal (and
we hope they do), there are still some hurdles to clear. Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s enmity for Israel goes
beyond the Marmara incident; his party’s
regional ambitions and popularity at home are partly based on support for
the Palestinians and opposition to Zionism. Security concerns about Syria and Iran
and economic interests regarding Israel’s natural gas are
much more likely to bring Turkey and Israel back together than any symbolic
settlement over the Mavi Marmara incident.
That said, any reconciliation at this
juncture is desirable from Washington’s standpoint. Few things could help the
US combat the region’s harrowing conflicts like strategic cooperation between
Turkey and Israel.
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