Ankara Sends Mixed Signals on Rapprochement

Conflicting messages continued to come from Turkey regarding the likelihood of a rapprochement with Israel in the coming days.

While the Turkish Foreign Ministry last Friday predicted that a deal would be signed with Israel in the next meeting, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin said Monday that Ankara won’t drop its demand to end the naval blockade on Gaza.

“What happens in Gaza is unacceptable, the occupation by Israel must end,” stated Kalin in a press conference.

Israel has repeatedly rejected the Turkish demand for an end to the blockade.

An Israeli diplomatic officials told Arutz Sheva that no significant progress was made in the last meeting, casting further doubt on the Turkish Foreign Ministry claim that normalization is imminent.

In addition, a senior source in the Israeli security establishment last Thursday accused Ankara of playing a “double game,” and “using” Israel to pressure Russia into taking a less belligerent stance visa vis Turkey, according to Arutz Sheva.