Israel and Turkey are poised to restore full diplomatic ties following five years of frosty relations in the wake of the May 2010 Gaza flotilla raid.
Media reported Thursday that a preliminary agreement was reached between Ankara and Jerusalem on the reconciliation which includes financial compensation for the families of the ten Turkish citizens killed in the raid. In return, Turkey would drop criminal charges against senior Israeli officers and agree to prevent a leader of Hama from entering Turkey. Israel has accused the Hamas leader, Saleh al-Arouri, of orchestrating attacks against Israelis in the West Bank from a base in Turkey.
The two countries would also return ambassadors to each other’s capitals and would discuss building a pipeline to bring natural gas from Israel to Turkey, an annamed Israeli official told the 'New York Times'.
The emerging deal was announced a few days after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey told reporters that reconciliation “would be good for us, Israel, Palestine, and the entire region.”
