Israel Won’t Lift Gaza Blockade to Normalize Ties with Turkey

Lifting the blockade on Gaza to improve relations with Turkey is not on the agenda, diplomatic sources in Jerusalem said Wednesday, responding to Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan’s condition for ending the Mavi Marmara saga. Erdogan’s demand left a feeling in Jerusalem that he was not interested in bringing this issue to closure, knowing full well that Jerusalem would not let a third party dictate to it what was necessary for its security.

In another issue related to Gaza, UN Mideast envoy Robert Serry noted Wednesday: “During the past two months, we have seen more rockets being fired at Israel, border incidents and Israeli retaliatory operations causing death or injury to civilians. The United Nations condemns the rise in violence.”

In response, a spokeswoman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry said: “There is no symmetry whatsoever between unprovoked Palestinian missile attacks on Israeli civilian centers and legitimate retaliatory measures that Israel - just like any other sovereign country in the world - is forced to adopt.”

{Matzav.com Israel News Bureau}