Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Israel’s apology alone is not enough to restore ties between Ankara and Tel Aviv, adding that Tel Aviv has to deliver on promises before normalization of relations can take place.
In a telephone call to Erdogan on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to Turkey for the murder of its citizens during a 2010 attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. Erdogan accepted the apology and both men reportedly said they would start the work of restoring full ties.
However during a public rally on Sunday, the Turkish prime minister announced that there would be no quick restoration of relations, the Associated Press reported.
“We have said: ‘an apology will be made, compensation will be paid and the blockade on Palestine will be lifted. There will be no normalization without these,” he said. “Normalization will happen the moment there is an implementation. But if there is no implementation, then I am sorry.”
On May 31, 2010, Israeli navy commandos attacked the Gaza Freedom Flotilla while it was sailing in international waters on a mission to break Tel Aviv’s siege of the Gaza Strip. The attack left nine Turkish citizens, including a Turkish-American teenager, dead and dozens of others wounded.
However, Tel Aviv had refused to apologize for the attack, prompting Ankara to expel the Israeli ambassador, cut all bilateral military ties, and downgrade relations with Israel.
Gaza has been blockaded since June 2007, which is a situation that has caused a decline in the standard of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.
After Israel’s assault on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, Tel Aviv slightly eased the land blockade of Gaza, allowing in more consumer goods.
However, the naval siege of the Gaza Strip remains in place, exports are banned, and imports of raw materials and construction materials are restricted.