Israel faces ‘no reconciliation’ if Turkey insists on Gaza siege to be lifted

Senior Israeli sources have said that Israel “will never, in any form, lift the security blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip” and noted that “if Ankara insist on this condition” there would be no restoration of ties or even “any reconciliation” with Turkey, the Palestinian Safa news agency has reported.

Israeli Radio had claimed earlier that Turkey and Israel have almost reached an agreement to restore diplomatic relations. The same sources told the radio that diplomatic ties with Turkey would not be at the expense of contacts and “strong” relations with Egypt, Cyprus and Greece. Rapprochement between Tel Aviv and Ankara, they pointed out, would not affect Israel-Russia relations; Israel would not turn links with Turkey into a strategic alliance.

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Adding that Israel would negotiate with all countries to decide the quantities of natural gas to be exported, the sources explained that this was due to the massive reserves in the eastern Mediterranean.

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