Did Erdogan give up Gaza in return for Israeli gas?
Erdogan’s ambition for a presidential system keeps him from dropping the Gaza precondition for the settlement of sour relations with Israel, but this does not stop the two sides from cooperating on natural gas.
Days before Israeli media broke the news of a preliminary Turkish-Israeli deal to normalize ties, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had thrown a signal flare of impending moves to settle the Mavi Marmara crisis between the two countries.
Speaking to journalists on a flight back from Turkmenistan on Dec. 13, Erdogan broke with his usual hostile rhetoric against Israel, saying that “Turkish-Israeli rapprochement is vital for the region” and that normalizing ties would be “to the benefit of the whole region.” He then reiterated his three conditions for reconciliation: first, an Israeli apology for the killing of 10 Turks, including one with US citizenship, in the Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara ferry on May 31, 2010, as it sailed in international waters in the Mediterranean with 590 activists aboard, mostly Turks, seeking to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip; second, the payment of compensation to the families of the victims; and third, the lifting of Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza.
Four days later, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported, “Israel and Turkey have reached understanding on the outlines of a reconciliation agreement that would put an end to the long crisis in relations between the two countries and normalize ties.”
The senior Israeli official Haaretz listed the key points of the framework agreement: First, Israel will pay $20 million in compensation to the families of the Mavi Marmara victims. Second, the two sides will “normalize” ties and mutually appoint ambassadors. Third, the Turkish parliament will pass a law to annul all legal claims against members of the Israeli military in connection with the Mavi Marmara raid. Fourth, Turkey will limit Hamas activities on its soil and expel Saleh al-Aruri, a senior member of Hamas' military wing, allegedly based in Istanbul. And finally, once the final agreement has been signed, the two countries will discuss cooperation on Turkish imports of natural gas from Israel and a pipeline to carry Israeli gas to Europe via Turkey.
