On March 25, Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc made the unexpected announcement that after almost four years, the normalization of the ties between Turkey and Israel is near. 

“A compensation deal with Israel over the Mavi Marmara raid is likely to be signed after the March 30 local elections,” he said. “The first task after the elections will be to complete the compensation issue as a legal document. After that, the document will be sent to parliament for [final] approval.” However, Israel’s decision on April 23 to suspend the peace talks with the Palestinians in reaction to the reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas is likely to have an adverse impact on a potential revival of political breakthrough with the Turkish government.

“Turkey has always been supportive of the unification of the Palestinians, and this news is well-received here,” Fadi al-Husseini, spokesman of the Palestinian Embassy in Ankara, told Al-Monitor. Indeed, the Turkish Foreign Ministry echoed the same sentiment in a written statement on April 24 about the Palestinian decision to join ranks.

“We welcome the agreement reached on April 23 between the delegations of Fatah and Hamas in Gaza regarding formation of a national unity government followed by elections in Palestine,” the statement read. “We hope that this agreement will pave the way for the formation of a government that will embrace all Palestinians through elections expected to be held at the end of the year, and a just and comprehensive peace in the region. We believe that the unity of the Palestinians is imperative to a lasting and viable peace in the region.”