Israel Matzav

Yaalon: We'll regret loss of life but we won't apologize

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategic Affairs Moshe "Boogie" Yaalon met with Turkish officials in Europe last week in an effort to restore relations between Israel and the Muslim 'democracy.' Yaalon said that Israel is willing to pay compensation to the families of the terrorists who died trying to murder IDF soldiers on the Mavi Marmara last year, but that it would not apologize.

Israel has stressed it will not apologize for the IDF's actions, but Minister Ya'alon expressed willingness to pay compensation for the families of the victims. "Israel is willing to regret the loss of lives but will not apologize," a source familiar with the issue said. "We cannot guarantee Israel and Turkey will reach an understanding," he noted.

State officials told Ynet that Israel wants to calm the atmosphere and convene a meeting with high ranking Turkish officials, referring to the president, defense minister and prime minister. It remains unclear whether such a meeting will in fact take place.

"The Turks were on the Iran-Syria axis and this axis is not looking good these days," a state official added. "Moreover, Turkey still fears the Palmer Committee report (the UN-appointed committee investigating the flotilla) and therefore it is expected Erdogan will try to calm relations with Israel."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a letter to his Turkish counterpart this week expressing hope that relations between the two nations will improve. He added that Israel's government will be happy to work with the new Turkish cabinet.

Sorry, but I totally disagree with this. Why should we apologize for our soldiers defending themselves against attempts to murder them? That's absurd! And on top of that to compensate them? What a horrible precedent to set - for Israel to pay off the families of dead terrorists! Turkey has a lot of problems these days. Aside from the Palmer Committee, many of those refugees coming over its border from Syria are Kurds, who would like nothing more than to set up Kurdistan with Kurdish territory from Turkey, Syria and Iran. Erdogan fears that more than anything.

But wait - it gets worse. Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon is now pulling an Obama as well: He's apologizing for 'humiliating' Turkey's ambassador to Israel.

Nearly two years after Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon publicly humiliated Turkey's ambassador to Israel by seating him in a lower chair than his during a televised meeting, Ayalon on Thursday sat with a group of seven Turkish journalists in an attempt to explain the incident, which marked a climax in the diplomatic tear between the two countries.

The Turkish Journalists told Ayalon that he has come to be known in their country as "the man with the low chair," but Ayalon insisted that the incident was a joke that was blown out of proportion.

Ayalon explained that nothing in the meeting, which provoked harsh criticism from the Turkish government, was planned in advance. He added that he had sent a letter of apology to the ambassador after the incident in which he explained that he had no intention to humiliate him.

A journalist for the Turkish daily Hurriyet was not satisfied with the deputy FM's explanation and asked him to sit in a low chair as he posed for a picture with her.

Ayalon agreed.

Following the meeting, the Turkish reporter wrote in her article which adorned the paper's front page on Friday, "I pulled the Turkish ambassador trick on Ayalon."

If it was a joke, it was a pretty stupid joke. But Ayalon represents the government of Israel and is not a teenager who can just 'make up' with his former best friend.

And by the way, when will Erdogan be apologizing for his temper tantrum in Davos two and a half years ago? Don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen.

Labels: Ahmet Davutoglu, Danny Ayalon, Mavi Marmara, Moshe Yaalon, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey, Turkish obsession with Israel

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:09 PM