Turkey has been working to form a deal for Shalit’s release opposite Hamas for the past year, Yedioth Ahronoth has learned. It had maintained a low profile but recently decided to boost efforts apparently as a way to rebuild ties with Israel.
Israeli-Turkish businessman Eliko Donmez met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan after last year’s flotilla and handed him a letter written by the captive soldier’s father Noam. Shalit asked Erdogan to use his influence over Hamas in order to convince the group to accept the German mediator’s proposal of releasing 1,000 prisoners in exchange for his son.
He also expressed regret over the death of Turkish citizens in the raid. Shalit noted that Hamas refuses to allow the Red Cross to visit his son and asked for a meeting with Erdogan.
Sources familiar with the issue said that Erdogan had taken the matter upon himself personally. He was told that achieving success in the affair would improve his status in the eyes of both Israel and the Arab and Muslim world.
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4 Responses
I realize that you got this from another news source, but aren’t you able to somewhere include [Gilad ben Aviva] in the body of the article?
It’s a huge reflief to know that the genocidal Turkish Islamist regime that is so viciously anti-Semitic in it’s public rhetoric is Gilad Shalit’s last, best hope for freedom soon. Whew!
Could it be Erdogan now regrets turning on Israel? How does he like Israel’s new close relationship with Greece (Turkey’s longtime rival) that sprouted once Turkey became hostile?
To me it’s like in a marriage one partner becomes fed up with the other and goes ahead and gets a divorce. As time goes on he/she regrets it and realizes things are worse now than when they were married.
No. 2: Is it fun to be persecuted? Here is news that an Islamic government is taking positive steps to bring relief to a Jewish prisoner, and cannot think that maybe an Islamic leader wants to make peace with Israel, or simply help a Jew. I am not fully familiar with Mr. Erdogan (though I love Atlantic Records, his American business), but you do not want to consider the possibility that there may be some good news coming from Turkey.