Turkish Parliament Approves Reconciliation Agreement with Israel

The Turkish parliament has approved a reconciliation agreement with Israel signed in June, ending a six-year dispute between the two countries, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Saturday.

Relations soured when the Israeli navy attacked a Turkish aid ship in May 2010, killing ten Turks. Israel, which had already offered an apology for the attack, agreed as part of the deal to pay $20 million to the families of the killed and injured, and in return, Turkey will drop its claims.

Both countries will appoint ambassadors in line with the agreement, which was partly driven by the prospect of lucrative gas exploration deals in the Mediterranean, Hina reports.

The agreement, signed on June 28, is a rare instance of rapprochement in a divided Middle East, also driven by various fears due to increasing security threats in the region. Two weeks later, 240 people were killed in an attempted coup in Turkey.

Under the agreement, the naval blockade of Gaza, which Ankara wants lifted, remains in place, but humanitarian aid will be delivered to Gaza via Israeli ports. Israel says the blockade of Gaza is necessary to stop Hamas's arms smuggling. Hamas, which won the last parliamentary elections in 2006, is considered a terrorist organization by the US and EU.