BICOM

In an interview with the Jerusalem Post on Thursday, Dore Gold, the Director General of Israel’s Foreign Ministry and a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he is “hopeful” that Ankara and Jerusalem “will find a way to reestablish their relationship” in the near future.

The Turkish government severed ties between the countries following the takeover by Israeli commandos of the Mavi Marmara ship in 2010. The ship was attempting to break the naval blockade of Gaza imposed by Israel in order to prevent weapons smuggling to Hamas and other terror groups.

Commenting on geopolitical changes that could facilitate a rapprochement between the countries, Gold said: “The strategic environment around Turkey is much more complicated than it was two or three years ago, with the rise of ISIS as a challenge to Turkey, not just Syria, and the growth of Iranian power, which is not just a problem for Israel, but for Turkey as well.” Commenting on Turkish President Erdogan and his highly critical stance regarding Israel, Gold said: “I think countries ultimately operate according to their interests, and I think Turkey and Israel do have important converging interests.”

Gold’s comments on Turkey follow a June meeting between Gold and his Turkish counterpart, Feridun Sinirlioglu, as part of an effort to mend relations and his schedule includes a meeting with a group of senior Turkish journalists who are traveling to Israel as guests of the Foreign Ministry next week.

On the issue of a possible deal with Hamas, Gold was dismissive, remarking that Israel will not negotiate with an “unreformed” Hamas. He rejected the claims of those who assert that Hamas has undergone a transformation of late to become a political organisation with which one can engage. “Recent events show that is simply not true,” he said.