After months of negotiations, Israel and Turkey reached a rapprochement agreement, ending years of diplomatic fallout following the deadly 2010 raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. The deal is expected to cost Israel $21 million in compensations and an apology. In exchange, Turkey will no longer demand that the blockade on the Gaza Strip be lifted.
The reconciliation caused some outrage in Israeli society because four Israelis are still being held in Gaza. The Goldin, Shaul, and Mengistu families called on the government to ensure that the return of their sons was included in the agreement. Lt. Hadar Goldin and Sgt. Oron Shaul were both killed in the 2014 war in Gaza and Avraham Abera Mengistu disappeared in the Strip later in 2014. The families have set up a protest tent outside the prime minister’s home demanding changes to the agreement.
Our speakers included:
The family of the late Hadar Goldin
The family of the late Oron Shaul
Major General (res.) Yaakov Amidror, former National Security Advisor and head of the Research Department of Israeli military intelligence.
