Diplomatic efforts between Turkey and Israel are deteriorating, an Israeli news website, Debka, revealed Tuesday.

Turkey assisted Israel as it struggled to contain forest fires that raged for four days.

The website, whose sources are among Israel’s decision-makers, refuted media accounts that claimed the two parties were reconciling or that tensions were subsiding.

Israeli-Turkey relations have worsened since the Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound flotilla in May 2010 killing nine activists.

The website also claimed that during the meetings between Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu and Israeli representative Joseph Ciechanover on Sunday and Monday in Geneva, Turkey surprised Israel by calling for the prosecution of the soldiers that took part in the attack.

Turkey also asked that Israel continue to gradually lift the blockade off Gaza, apologise to the families of the flotilla victims and compensate them. The Turkish stance has not changed at all.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said, after seeing the first meeting’s report, that Turkey “will not rest until the Mediterranean is purified of the blood spilled after the Israeli attack.”

Erdogan recalled Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s thank you call after Turkey’s participation in combating the fires in northern Israel saying he hopes this gesture would help in improving ties between the two countries.

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/1390.aspx