(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Israel answered several Turkish demands in negotiations, but added that Ankara won't agree to normalization of ties without lifting Gaza blockade, Hebrew media sources said.
Speaking at a press conference in Ankara alongside Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, Erdogan said on Tuesday that he demanded 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 between them, Haaretz Hebrew newspaper said on Wednesday.
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, according to the newspaper.
However, Erdogan said the lifting of the siege on the Gaza Strip has not yet transpired. "Nothing will happen without lifting the siege on Gaza," he said.
For its part, Palestinian government in Gaza Strip praised Erdogan's demand to lift the siege on Gaza, considering it a courageous position amid the international silence towards the continued Israeli siege for eight years.
The government condemned the international passive position towards Israeli violations, praising some countries that chose to stand behind Palestinian people in reference to Qatar's reconstruction efforts in Gaza.
The government called on Arab leaders and international community to emulate Erdogan's position in support of Palestinian cause, stressing, at the same time, the Palestinian people's adherence to their legitimate rights and resistance option.
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Speaking at a press conference in Ankara alongside Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, Erdogan said on Tuesday that he demanded 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 between them, Haaretz Hebrew newspaper said on Wednesday.
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, according to the newspaper.
However, Erdogan said the lifting of the siege on the Gaza Strip has not yet transpired. "Nothing will happen without lifting the siege on Gaza," he said.
For its part, Palestinian government in Gaza Strip praised Erdogan's demand to lift the siege on Gaza, considering it a courageous position amid the international silence towards the continued Israeli siege for eight years.
The government condemned the international passive position towards Israeli violations, praising some countries that chose to stand behind Palestinian people in reference to Qatar's reconstruction efforts in Gaza.
The government called on Arab leaders and international community to emulate Erdogan's position in support of Palestinian cause, stressing, at the same time, the Palestinian people's adherence to their legitimate rights and resistance option.
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