Peres: Israel will ‘seek friendship with Turkey’

President Shimon Peres said Israel will “seek friendship with Turkey” despite fallout over a deadly flotilla raid, while Turkish President Abdullah Gül said normalizing soured ties would be up to Israel. Gül said fixing the relationship was “up to Israel.” Peres said that if he had a chance to meet with Gül he would tell him “we have to continue our friendship,” and that there were ways for Turkey to remain a key broker in the Middle East.

Israel and Turkey must determine a way to repair their recently tarnished relations. It appears that the governments of Turkey and Israel desire an end to this controversy, but a lack of direct communication between their leaders hinders the effort. For the moment, both Israel and Turkey appear content to wait for the pending reports of the Turkel Commission and UN Secretary General’s Commission.

Source: Hurriyet Daily