Turkey, Israel to hold compensation talks over 2010 flotilla attack

A Turkish delegation will arrive in Tel Aviv on Monday for the second round of talks on the compensation for the victims of an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in 2010. This will mark the first high-level visit by Turkish officials to Israel since the deadly attack by Israeli navy commandos that killed nine pro-Palestinian activists, including eight Turks and one Turkish American, three years ago. The delegation is headed by Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu. Turkey hopes that the amount of compensation for the victims will be determined through the talks. Apology and compensation, along with Israel's easing of the Gaza Strip blockade consist of Turkey's core conditions for normalizing ties between the two countries. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered apology to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in March, the first step to restore ties after a broker's role played by U.S. President Barack Obama. The first compensation talks between the former allies were held in April, when an Israeli delegation visited Ankara. Both sides were said to have agreed on the principles of the compensation.