No reconciliation with Israel until end of Gaza siege

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that he demands a written protocol from Israel pledging it will lift the siege over the Gaza Strip as a condition for signing a reconciliation agreement and normalizing relations with Israel.

Speaking at a press conference in Ankara alongside Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, Erdogan said that negotiations with Israel have progressed, but have not ended.

He added that Turkey has received an apology from Israel, and that talks over compensation for the families of those killed and wounded on the Mavi Marmara ship in 2010 are ongoing. However, Erdogan said the lifting of the siege over the Gaza Strip – which was one of the conditions set by Turkey for normalizing relations – has not yet transpired. "Nothing will happen without lifting the siege on Gaza," he said.

Last week the Zionist daily Haaretz reported that Israel has offered to pay $20 million in compensation to the families of the nine activists killed during an Israeli commando raid on the Mavi Marmara in May 2010, as well as to those in the incident.

The ship was packed with global anti-Israeli activists and was bound for breaking the inhumane siege on Gaza.