Israel and Turkey reportedly are continuing efforts to resolve their differences despite a terror attack Saturday in Istanbul that left three Israelis dead and 11 others wounded.
Four people died in addition to the suicide bomber and 36 people were injured in the blast that struck the central Taksim section of the city. Israeli officials were working with Turkish intelligence to determine whether terrorists were aimed at Israeli tourists. Turkish government officials said Saturday night it was believed the suicide bomber may have been a Da’esh operative from the ISIS terrorist organization, or a member of the PKK terror group.
A nasty tweet celebrating the attack and wishing that more Israelis were killed was posted by the communications director of the ruling AK Party following the attack. But the immediate dismissal of the individual spoke volumes about the government’s intentions to advance towards between the two former allies.
Reconciliation efforts are continuing, the prime minister said, with talks ongoing between Jerusalem and Ankara. “We are working towards an agreement that will lead towards normalization,” Netanyahu said. “We have encountered some delays in this process, not from a lack of trying but due to fundamental issues” that are still being addressed.
The incendiary tweet posted earlier in the evening by Irem Aktas, the head of Turkey’s AK Party public relations and women’s department, was removed from Twitter. Aktas herself was fired following the incident.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Nachson said Israel was investigating the veracity of the tweet; if true, Nachshon said it was “shocking and ugly.” He echoed an earlier statement by Netanyahu that Israel would expect an apology and statement by the Turkish government distancing itself from the sentiment.
AK Party official Hatic Yucel tweeted a statement immediately after Aktas, saying her tweet did “not reflect the opinion of the AK Party.”