Middle East Inside Line: Israel Request Turkey's Return as Mediator

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has confirmed that Israel has requested that Turkey resume its mediation of peace talks. He said Monday, "We are willing to mediate between the two countries and contribute to the political process in the region, and hope that we will begin a new era on the Palestinian issue and in everything connected to peace talks in the region."

According to sources, the first step of reconciliation is a formal visit of Turkish President Abdullah Gul to Israeli President Shimon Peres, who was harshly criticized by Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the Davos Summit in January.

Middle East Inside Line: Israel’s Government Splits over Relations with Turkey?

In a meeting with Israel's Industry, Labor and Trade Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, the Turkish deputy prime minister, Bulent Arinc, said that Turkey-Israel relations must improve: "The diplomatic relations between the two countries have known ups and downs, but they must stabilize." In response to Arinc, Ben-Eliezer said that "the Israeli people want to return to good relations with Turkey".