Policy Papers and Reports
In June 2016, Israeli and Turkish negotiators announced that they had reached the terms of a reconciliation agreement that would end six years of downgraded diplomatic ties between their respective countries. The agreement stipulated that Israel would pay $20 million in compensation to the families of the Mavi Marmara victims and permit Turkey to set up infrastructure projects in Gaza via Israel’s Ashdod port (Turkey waived its earlier demand that Israel remove its blockade of the Gaza Strip). In exchange, Turkey committed to passing a parliamentary law that would prevent legal action against the IDF personnel involved in the 2010 raid of the Mavi Marmara, vowed that Hamas would not carry out any terrorist or military activity against Israel from Turkish territory, and promised to seek the return of two Israeli citizens and the remains of two soldiers held in Gaza by Hamas. Finally, the parties agreed to a process that would allow for full diplomatic normalization and an exchange of ambassadors.
