Turkish PM to visit Tel Aviv?

By Peter Lyukimson, Israel, exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza

Sources at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office say that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Israel in late April to normalize relations between the two states. Netanyahu’s special envoy David Meydan has reached an agreement on compensations for the Mavi Marmara incident. Erdogan’s visit will finally put an end to the controversies.

Technically, the information seems dubious because the Israeli Foreign Ministry is on strike and most visits of Israeli and foreign leaders to Israel is impossible. There is little chance that Erdogan will be an exception.

It is also hard to believe that Israel agreed to fulfill Erdogan’s demands and lift blockade of the Gaza Strip. On the contrary, after intercepting the Klos C, new attacks on the Israeli territory, construction of terrorist tunnels from Gaza to Israel to organize terrorist attacks, Tel Aviv should strengthen the blockade instead. In addition to that, Egypt insists on further blockade of the Gaza Strip, which it calls the main source of terror in the region.

There should be extraordinary reasons for Erdogan visit Israel and normalize relations at a meeting with Netanyahu. One can only guess what those reasons could be. Maybe it has something to do with a change of Turkey’s policy towards Syria.