Israel–Turkey relations

An Israeli minister is set to visit Turkey on Oct. 13, the first ministerial level meeting since relations came to a halt in 2010 after Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. 

Israeli Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources Yuval Steinitz is expected to visit Turkey on Oct. 13, the Israeli Embassy in Ankara said in a written statement on Oct. 10. 

A senior Israeli government minister is due to visit Turkey this week in the first such trip since the the two countries normalized relations after a six-year crisis over Israel's deadly storming of a Gaza-bound ship, an official said.

Israel on Oct. 5 intercepted a boat carrying women activists seeking to break the country's decade-long blockade of the Gaza Strip, saying it was boarded without incident and taken ashore.

The Israeli government on Sept. 30 paid $20 million in compensation to Turkey over the Mavi Marmara flotilla raid in 2010, which led to the suspension of diplomatic ties between the two countries before a reconciliation deal was reached earlier this year, private broadcaster CNN Türk has reported.

A man allegedly suffering from mental problems was shot and wounded on Sept. 21 by Turkish police in front of the Israeli Embassy in Ankara after he approached the main gate of the embassy, shouting anti-Israel slogans while brandishing a knife.

The Ankara Governor's Office identified the attacker as 38-year-old Osman Nuri Çalışkan from Konya.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an has said that Turkey and Israel discussed sending an energy ship to Gaza, as relations between two countries enter a phase of normalization after six years.

The normalization of relations with Israel is expected to begin as negotiations between the two countries advance toward the final step, Turkish presidential spokesperson ?brahim Kal?n said April 25.

Once again, uncertainty has prevailed after optimism regarding reconciliation talks between Israel and Turkey, with ?brahim Kal?n, the spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, saying on April 12 that the parties "are not yet at the stage of drafting and sealing an agreement."

We keep hearing that a Turkish-Israeli rapprochement is just around the corner, and will happen as soon as diplomats work out the final details. Yet nothing seems to happen. Reports on the topic indicate that Israel is the reluctant party now, seeing no urgency in making up with Turkey, especially if it appears that it is giving in to Ankara's demands. 

Israel on April 8 reissued and accentuated a warning to its citizens to avoid Turkey over the "immediate risks" of attacks, weeks after three Israelis were killed in an Istanbul suicide bombing.

"Following a situational assessment, we are reiterating and sharpening the high level of threat in Turkey," the counter terrorism bureau said.