Turkey’s prime minister said on July 8 it was “unthinkable” to normalise ties with Israel unless it apologised for a bloody raid on a Turkish ship bound for Gaza last year and lifted a blockade on the Palestinian territory. In a speech to parliament to unveil his new government’s programme, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan gave no sign of softening its terms, although there have been reports in recent weeks that the two sides have been holding secret talks to mend fences. Ankara has repeatedly demanded Israel apologise and pay compensation for the killing of nine pro-Palestinian Turkish activists when Israeli marines seized a Turkish ship bound for the coastal strip last year.
“Normalization of relations between the two countries is unthinkable unless Israel apologizes for this illegal act which is against all international law and values, pays compensation to the relatives of those who lost their lives in this atrocious event and lifts the embargo on Gaza,” Erdogan said, to the applause of his AK Party lawmakers.
Erdogan, who won re-election last month, said in his speech that Turkey will be “closely following” all international investigations into the raid. Palestinians and their supporters, including Turkey, see it as illegal pressure on the heavily aid-dependent coastal strip.