Israel Matzav

Turks continue pressure on Israel for 'apology'

Lest you think it's over... the Turks are continuing to press for an Israeli 'apology' for the Mavi Marmara incident (Hat Tip: Joshua I).

A senior Foreign Ministry official has expressed confidence that Israel will eventually give in to demands by Turkey and offer an apology and pay compensation to victims in order to pave the way for a normalization of bilateral relations.

“The Israeli government is ready to issue an apology; now they are working on public opinion for this,” said Center for Strategic Research (SAM) Chairman Bülent Aras, in an interview with the Yeni Şafak daily published on Monday.

SAM is a state-run consultative body that assesses Turkish foreign policy for the Foreign Ministry.

Although the official stated that the crisis caused by the Mavi Marmara raid in May of last year was the reason for the isolation of Israel from the international community, he acknowledged that an Israeli agreement to issue an official apology and compensation for the loss of lives would also function as an “exit strategy” for the country.

Israel will gain nothing by apologizing to Turkey. It will do nothing but humiliate its soldiers - and will probably further expose them to lawsuits, including in the International Criminal Court. And note that he glosses over Israel's legal blockade of Gaza, saying just that it 'won't work.'

Hopefully, Israel's government will continue to resist the demand to apologize to Turkey.

What could go wrong?

Labels: Gaza plenty, Mavi Marmara

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:56 PM