Israel Matzav

Turkey to host 'peace talks' in exchange for canceling flotilla?

Reminder: I'm still in Boston and the Sabbath hasn't started yet.

The Obama administration is trying to mediate between Israel and Turkey. They have proposed that the Turks be allowed to host 'peace talks' in exchange for restoring relations with Israel and canceling the flotilla of fools. But what will be 'discussed' at these 'peace talks'?

The US administration is mulling offering the Turkish government a deal under which Turkey would host peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians in exchange for a recovery in Turkish-Israeli ties and the prevention of a second flotilla that is expected to depart for Gaza from sailing later this month, a news report said on Friday.

...

Citing unnamed sources, the Turkish Hürriyet daily said on Friday that the US was about to officially ask Turkey to host Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in return for stopping the second flotilla and ending the crisis in its ties with Israel. Under the US proposal, Turkey will host peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, similar to the major peace talks that took place in the past, such as a 1991 conference in Madrid and secret talks in Oslo in 1993.

US officials are currently testing the waters to see how Ankara would react to such an offer, the daily said. But an American official said the Turkish side seems unwilling to accept the proposal as Ankara insists that there will be no progress in Turkish-Israeli ties without Israel apologizing for the May 31, 2010 incident.

Israeli officials said they were not aware of any such proposal, according to the report.

I was not able to find this report in the Hurriyet. Admittedly, I did not have a lot of time to look. It doesn't sound like these 'talks' are going to happen anyway. The Turks want a confrontation.

What could go wrong?

Labels: flotilla of fools, Gaza plenty, Middle East peace process, Turkish obsession with Israel

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:44 AM