Erdogan meets Hamas leader amid reports of Israel deal

leaving its third demand, that Israel lift its blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, as the main obstacle.

Good luck with getting Netanyahu out of diapers on that one.

Good luck with getting Netanyahu out of diapers on that one.

You should consider taking your blinders off and reading the article to the end before commenting.

From the article:

According to the Hurriyet daily, a compromise has been reached with Turkey set to send aid for Palestinians via the Israeli port of Ashdod rather than sending it directly to Gaza.

You should consider taking your blinders off

There's nothing new about aid to Gaza going through Ashdod. Netanyahu's still in diapers.

There's nothing new about aid to Gaza going through Ashdod. Netanyahu's still in diapers.

Hamas is crawling around in diapers right next to him. They continue to have Israel's destruction in their charter. However, a compromise was reached. That absolutely is something new. That is a good thing and it was reached between the leaders of Israel and Turkey.

You refused to see any reason for the blockade which was put in place by both Israel and Egypt. Compromise, any compromise on any side should be seen as a positive, that is for people with their blinders off.

You refused to see any reason for the blockade

Where did you read that?

A-hem. Your pointless quibbling is the same pointless quibbling -- punctuated with violence -- that has kept the situation stalled for over a decade.

Where did you read that?

I thought I had read that in between the lines of your previous posts above. If I am mistaken, I apologize. Perhaps you could explain how in commenting about an article in which two leaders of countries that had been disagreeing about a decades old violent and seemingly endless conflict found a way to apologize, compensate and compromise, that all you could manage was a negative comment.

You see, this article is describing something very good that has the potential to be a game changer. Turkey has been a good supporter of Hamas, Turkey and Israel seem to have made a deal in which an apology, compensation and compromise were given. Then, Turkey met with the Hamas leader. I cannot see how you managed to pull your negative 'diaper' comment out of that.

Your pointless quibbling is the same pointless quibbling -- punctuated with violence -- that has kept the situation stalled for over a decade.

I agree. Hopefully, this agreement between Turkey and Israel can help improve the situation. Sadly, there are some like the other poster in this discussion that can't manage to find anything positive to say even when something good occurs.

Thanks, backscratcher

Of course I welcome overtures to peace from all quarters.

I just wonder how much of a 'compromise,' as Hürriyet has framed it, Ashdod really is, as this has long been Israel's port of choice for Gaza aid, and used for Turkish supplies in the past.

Hamas' pragmatism in maintaining contact with Turkey as well as Syria and Iran - rarely comfortable bedfellows - will hopefully translate into them burying the hatchet with (and not in) Fatah to present a united front to the world.

Wouldn't it be great if Netanyahu could have the confidence to sit down with his neighbours?

It woulld be really great of all the parties could sit down together and work on peaceful solutions. It is high overdue. I agree with you. Hopefully, Turkey's conversations with Hamas will bring Hamas and Fatah closer together and in turn bring Israel to the table with them.

As to the compromise about Ashdod. It is my understanding that until recently, Turkey was insisting on directly bring aid into Gaza. With Israel's apology and compensation, the compromise of accepting Ashdod instead was given in return. Give and take, as it were.

It would make things extremely uncomfortable for Netanyahu if he were to refuse to meet and talk with a united Palestinian front comprising Hamas and Fatah who were willing to discuss true peace or to even be willing to discuss the possibilty of it. The world would rightly condemn it.

Let's hope for the best.

Well said, backscratcher.

The world would rightly condemn it

One would certainly hope so.

Turkey was insisting on directly bring aid into Gaza

It lost ten of its citizens that way in 2010, and subsequent aid went through Ashdod:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/152442#.V2-DFleAFFI

It lost ten of its citizens that way in 2010, and subsequent aid went through Ashdod:

Actually, I was talking about during tallks more recently. However, the UN Palmer Report commissioned by Ban Ki-Moon found the Israeli Blockade legal. (section 81 of the findings) Turkey knew of the blockade and sent the flotilla in anyway. Out of the hundreds in the flotilla, it was only the few on the MV Mavi Marmara that offered violent resistance. All the other boats offered only passive resistance and there were no casualties on those boats. Israel's reaction was indeed over the top as well.

The situation is not a simple one and never has been. Hopefully it will improve.