Israel, Turkey move to mend ties

By Liu Dong

An Israeli minister held talks with Turkey's foreign minister behind closed doors Wednesday, a move meant to help mend bilateral ties frayed by the recent deadly flotilla raid in Gaza.

Israeli Trade and Industry Minister Benjamin Ben Eliezer met with Ahmet Davutoglu at an unspecified venue in Europe, even withholding the details from other top-ranking officials on both sides, irritating the hawkish Israeli foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman.

The two officials, who are on good terms with each other, discussed, in a two-hour negotiation, approaches to repair rows stoked by a bloody May 31 Israeli commando raid on a Gaza-bound ship. Davutoglu reportedly demanded an apology from the Israeli side, and more talks are expected.

A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he had approved a request from Ben Eliezer to hold an unofficial meeting with a "Turkish personality," and the failure to coordinate with the foreign ministry had been due to "technical reasons," according to AFP.

Israel-Turkey ties spiraled downward over last month's bloodshed, after which Turkey withdrew its ambassador to Israel and barred Israeli military flights from using its airspace.

"Israel and Turkey are traditional allies, with decades-old ties dating back to the 1940s," Wang Jinglie, a Middle East expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

"The two have been linked by geopolitical interests and by expanding bilateral cooperation in economic and military sectors," Wang said.

"The talks are helpful in improving relations, but Israel should address the core issue. … Israel should move to merge into the community and devise an effective policy to peacefully resolve the issue of Palestine," Wang stressed.