Israeli and Turkish PMs Announce Normalization Agreement

Jerusalem, 27 June, 2016 (TPS) -- In two simultaneous press conferences in Rome and in Ankara, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu officially announced the signing of a normalization agreement between the two countries.

“The actual agreement paper will be signed tomorrow, following ratification by the Turkish parliament ,” said Davutoğlu.

“Israel has reached a strategic agreement of immense importance for Israel’s economic and security interests now and in the future,” said Netanyahu. “Israel and Turkey are the two regional powers. Our previous distance prevented both our countries from maximizing our interests in the region – all that is gone now.”

The agreement includes permitting Turkey to transfer humanitarian and material aid to the Gaza Strip, through Israel’s Ashdod harbor. Additionally, Turkey will cease to allow terror organizations such as Hamas to plan attacks against Israel or to raise funds from Turkish territory.