Ankara and Jerusalem must share intelligence to defeat ISIS, consul says

Shai Cohen, Israel's consul in Istanbul, said Tuesday in an interview with a local TV station that Ankara and Jerusalem "cannot escape enhancing intelligence sharing, sharing information and even cooperating on an operational basis" to eliminate jihadist terror. Regarding a question about the possibility of a joint military operation by Israel and Turkey against ISIS, he said the topic had never been raised by the two countries. Asked to comment on possible future cooperation in Turkey's struggle against the Kurdish underground, Cohen said "We don’t intervene in Turkish decisions or policy vis-a-vis the Kurdish problem."  
As for the normalization between the two countries, the consul said it is necessary to wait until after the selection of a new prime minister following the resignation of incumbent Ahmet Davutoglu, but the two sides are "very close" to a deal and "another round or two" of talks is needed.
Later, the Israeli Foreign Ministry's Director General Dore Gold reprimanded Cohen over his remarks on normalization, saying they had deviated from the ministry's official policy.