Israel Snap Analysis: Political Traps in the Talks with Turkey

The Geneva meetings between Turkish and Israeli sides have ended with no tangible compromise from both sides. However, the diplomatic circles emphasise that the door is still open for further dialogue. 

According to the Turkish daily Hurriyet, a senior Israeli official said: “If Turkey and Israel want to reach an agreement, they only need to open the Webster’s Dictionary to find a different word for 'apology'."

Yet the most significant point is not the supposed disagreement over the exact noun to denote "apology" for Israel's attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla in May. Instead, the careful observer should recognise the division inside the Israeli Government.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is a possible block to any initiative taken by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And a conflict would come within the context of the battle over the U.S. initiative package in return for a three-month extension of the settlement freeze in the West Bank.

Another Likud figure, Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said that it is inconceivable that Israel apologise to Turkey for the Gaza flotilla incident. He warned that such a move could encourage other countries to act like Ankara. 

So, will Netanyahu be drowned in the rhetorical pool of "security" into which he has poured so much water? Or will he offer a real challenge to his internal opposition?