Giuseppe Lami/EPA U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Rome on June 27, 2016. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Rome on June 27, 2016. Then-Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan branded Israel a “terror state” and accused it of carrying out war crimes in the Gaza Strip. Turkey, meanwhile, dropped a longstanding demand that Israel lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip and Israel agreed to let Turkey ship badly needed building materials for a new hospital and other building projects – part of a several-year reconstruction effort following the wars between Hamas and Israel. Holding simultaneous press conferences in Rome and Ankara, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Netanyahu said that restoring ties would benefit both countries while providing badly needed aid to the Gaza Strip.

Source: Los Angeles Times June 27, 2016 18:52 UTC