Israeli FM slams Erdogan for “shutting the door” on reconciliation

PanARMENIAN.Net - Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Sunday, July 10, accused Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of having “shut the door” on reconciliation with Israel and having no intention of normalizing relations, Hürriyet Daily News reported.

“It is clear that this person [Erdoğan] is looking not for accommodation, nor peace, nor normalization, but wants to humiliate the State of Israel, sap its international standing and harm our status in the region,” he said. “I’m surprised he didn’t also demand that we set the retirement age for women.”

“He has no intention of arriving at normalization with us. He has shut the door,” Lieberman said.

Speaking to Turkish Parliament on Friday, Erdoğan repeated his past criticism of Israel over its deadly attack last year on the Turkish-flagged Gaza-bound ship.

“Normalization of relations between the two countries is unthinkable unless Israel apologizes for this illegal act, which is against all international law and values, pays compensation to the relatives of those who lost their lives in this atrocious event and lifts the embargo on Gaza,” Erdoğan said Friday.

Lieberman’s remarks come as Israel and Turkey failed to reach a consensus during negotiations in New York over a UN flotilla report last week. “[Lieberman’s statement] does not shut the door on talks. From our point [of view], we will continue to push to get the relationship to where it was,” the Israeli official said.

Another diplomatic source said that talks have not collapsed. “Talks [for normalization between Turkey and Israel] were in deadlock, but have not collapsed,” the source said.