Lieberman rejects Turkey mediation for Syria talks

Israel's hawkish Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman says Israel will not accept Turkey as the mediator in indirect peace talks with Syria.

"After all the verbal attacks and insults toward us expressed by the Turks, they cannot be considered as mediators between us and the Syrians," said the foreign minister.

He made the comments as Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Benjamin Ben Eliezer was preparing to leave for Ankara in the first such visit since Israel's three-week attack on the Gaza Strip.

Ankara harshly condemned the offensive which left over 1,400 Palestinians killed and wounded many others.

In October, Turkey excluded Israel from joint military drills and said bilateral ties would continue to suffer unless Israel ended "the humanitarian tragedy" in Gaza and revived peace talks with the Palestinians.

Israel, with help from Egypt, has imposed a crippling blockade on 1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip.

"We hope to re-establish relations of confidence with Ankara, as our mutual strategic interests are extremely important," Eliezer said before his departure for the two-day trip.

According to Israeli media, the possibility of Turkey resuming its mediatory role was among the subjects that Eliezer is expected to discuss with Ankara officials.

Israel and Syria have so far held four rounds of indirect talks. Syria seeks Israel's withdrawal from the Golan Heights, which has been occupied by the Israeli forces since the 1967 Six-Day war.