BICOM

The Turkish government has delayed talks with Israeli officials over compensation for families of the nine Turkish citizens who were killed whilst trying to prevent Israeli commandos taking over a Gaza-bound protest ship in 2010.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued an apology over the incident to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan during US President Obama’s visit to Israel last month, agreeing to pay compensation to the families of those who died. The United States in particular is hopeful that the apology will pave the way for a normalisation of ties between the two countries, both close allies of the US, particularly in the light of the civil war in Syria, which borders both countries. US Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated the importance of restoring Israel-Turkey relations during a visit to Istanbul on Sunday.

However, Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister, Bulent Arinc announced that talks scheduled to take place this week had been delayed to April 21 or 22. Arinc explained that the postponement was necessary because he would be accompanying Erdogan on a trip to Kazakhstan instead. No mention has yet been made by either Israel or Turkey of an exchange of ambassadors or any restoration of diplomatic ties, which were severed in 2010. The two countries had previously enjoyed a close relationship, sharing trade and defence cooperation.

Meanwhile, Maariv reports this morning that Turkey has effectively blocked a NATO official from attending a conference at Bar Ilan University near Tel Aviv next month. However, Maariv also says that Erdogan has agreed to a request by the United States to postpone a trip to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, a visit which would anger Israel. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel will look to rekindle defence ties between Israel and Turkey during a visit to the two countries later this month.