Israel, Turkey end six years of acrimony

Israeli and Turkish leaders yesterday lauded a deal reached at the weekend to restore ties after six years of acrimony over a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that his country's maritime blockade of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip would remain following the agreement, though Turkey obtained aid concessions for the Palestinian enclave.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that "to this end, our first ship loaded with over 10,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid will leave for Israel's Ashdod port on Friday."

Yildirim also noted Israel's commitment to pay $20 million in compensation over the 2010 raid that killed 10 Turkish activists, in exchange for all claims against Israeli soldiers being dropped.

Netanyahu pointed to the economic benefits for Israel, with his country in search of regional customers for gas exports and talk of a potential pipeline to Turkey.

Speaking in Rome after meeting US Secretary of State John Kerry, Netanyahu described the agreement as having "immense implications for the Israeli economy".

"I mean positive, immense implications," he said. Kerry also hailed the deal as a "positive step", while UN chief Ban Ki-moon, on a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, called it a "hopeful signal for the stability of the region."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas spoke by phone overnight, with the Turkish leader explaining the agreement's main points, a statement from the Palestinian presidency said.