Blockade of the Gaza Strip

Turkey, Israel working to appoint envoys soon

Turkey and Israel are working to mutually appoint ambassadors "within a short period of time," the Turkish Foreign Ministry stated on Oct. 11.

As part of the normalization process with Israel, work to mutually appoint ambassadors is expected to be completed soon, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç said when asked about the matter. 

Israel pays $20 mln compensation to Turkey for flotilla raid

The Israeli government on Sept. 30 paid $20 million in compensation to Turkey over the Mavi Marmara flotilla raid in 2010, which led to the suspension of diplomatic ties between the two countries before a reconciliation deal was reached earlier this year, private broadcaster CNN Türk has reported.

What Gazans need

Gaza has many problems. Yet when the United Nations asked nearly 16,000 displaced Gazan households in April what type of information they wanted more of, they responded with some predictable things, like updates on checkpoint crossings, the security situation and issues relating to food or water. 

What Gaza needs

I first visited Gaza in 2003, which was only 10 years after the Oslo Accord. The late Ariel Sharon was either about to, or had newly announced his plans for Israel's disengagement from Gaza. It took him a while to convince everybody to take Israeli settlements out of Gaza. Disengagement started in 2005. 

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