Israel Matzav

Deal with Turkey apparently off the table

The deal for Israel to express regret over the Mavi Marmara incident and pay compensation to the families of the nine dead terrorists has apparently fallen through.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu on Thursday rejected reports of a deal between Turkey and Jerusalem over the Mavi Marmara incident as "speculative," and insisted that his government's demand for an apology from Israel had not changed.

"We don't think it is right to cite figures, or discussions of apology or regret, Davutoglu said. "The citing of figures or the matter of regret did not come onto the agenda," he added.

On Thursday, Reuters reported an Israeli official as saying that Jerusalem had offered Turkey a deal in which the relatives of the Turks killed by naval commandos in the raid of the Mavi Marmara would be paid compensation in exchange for the Turkish government's assistance in indemnifying the Israeli Navy against lawsuits,

"We made a compensation offer, and asked the Turks to do what needs to be done to address our legal concerns. We also want to see them return their ambassador and allow us to appoint a new ambassador in Ankara," the official said.

"For now, however, there are still big obstacles," he added.

According to the report, Israel would express "regret" over the incident and each of the nine families who had a son killed in the incident would receive some $100,000.

They're just like the 'Palestinians.' They want what they want and they are not going to compromise on anything. So what sick obsession makes up keep pursuing them?

Labels: Ahmet Davutoglu, compensation for terrorists, Mavi Marmara, Turkey

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:01 PM