Israel–Turkey relations

Sevil Erku?sevil.erkus@hurriyet.com.trA Turkish government official has confirmed to Hürriyet Daily News that Israeli and Turkish officials held talks in Switzerland over the broken ties and may reach a deal soon.

Israel and Turkey have reached a preliminary agreement to normalize relations, including the return of ambassadors to both countries, Reuters quoted an Israeli official as saying on Dec 17.

Turkey has listed its conditions for a gas trade deal with Israel, said a high-level official, while commenting on fresh remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

Turkey's Foreign Ministry has summoned the Russian ambassador in Ankara to complain about protests against Turkish missions and businesses in Russia following Turkey's downing of a Russian jet.

A Foreign Ministry statement said on Nov. 26 that Turkish offices had come under "unacceptable" physical attacks disguised as protests.

Turkish tourism representatives have voiced concern after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov advised Russians on Nov. 24 not to visit Turkey, after Turkey downed of a Russian plane on the Syrian frontier.
 
Lavrov also said the threat of terrorism in Turkey was no less than in Egypt, where a bomb attack brought down a Russian passenger plane last month.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak is being sued in the United States over his nation's deadly raid of an aid flotilla that tried to break Israel's blockade of Gaza in 2010.

The Turkish parents of 19-year-old Furkan Do?an, who was among 10 killed in the raid, sued Barak in federal court in Los Angeles on Oct. 16, claiming unlawful death and torture. 

The family of a US citizen who was killed during a raid by Israeli troops in 2010 on a Gaza-bound  flotilla are suing former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, claiming unlawful death and torture.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin called on his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, to stand united against the terror in the Middle East in a letter of condolences over Turkey's most fatal terrorist incident that claimed the lives of at least 95 people.

U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Sept. 9 that she has spent years trying to convince Israeli to apologize to Turkey for a deadly attack on an aid flotilla to Gaza in 2010.

"We lost what was not just a working relationship but a real bridge," Clinton said. "I spent, you know, literally years trying to get the Israelis to finally apologize to the Turks on the flotilla."

Israel?s top diplomat has highly commended Turkey?s new Foreign Minister, Feridun Sinirlio?lu, as a chance for Turkey to have a high-skill diplomat as foreign minister, while seeming convinced of a positive change in the dynamics of Israel-Turkey relations, despite the fact of more visible differences in the last few years.