Post Iran deal, Israel looks to improve ties with Turkey
Efforts by Israel and Turkey to restore their once strong relationship could be helped by the common threats they face from Islamic State militants and Iran, a senior Israeli diplomat said on Tuesday.
Israeli-Turkish ties have soured during Tayyip Erdogan's rule in Ankara, but his Islamist-rooted AK Party's setbacks in a June 7 election and the reshaping of the region has stirred speculation about a realignment of interests.
Delegates from both sides have been trying to finalise a compensation deal over the killing by Israeli marines of 10 Turks aboard a pro-Palestinian activist ship that tried to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2010.
Asked where the reconciliation efforts stood, Dore Gold, the director-general of Israel's Foreign Ministry, told reporters: "I think there is an effort by both sides to see whether we can move forward, how do you say, to turn over a new leaf and see whether we can improve our relations."
