Unbelievable: Israel resuming talks with Turkey over 'apology'
In an interview with CNN Turk, Davutoglu said that Turkey will not make any concessions on its terms for ending the bilateral crisis: an Israeli apology for the killing of nine Turks during the 2010 raid on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara, payment of compensation to the families of the dead and wounded, and a removal of the Gaza blockade.
"It was an informal meeting," said Davutoglu of the Turkish-Israeli encounter in Geneva last week. "We are prepared to talk if the Israelis say they are prepared to fulfill our conditions."
Haaretz reported over the weekend that the special envoy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Joseph Ciechanover, and Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu met last week in Geneva to try to come up with a formula that would end the rift between the two countries, which began after Operation Cast Lead and became a total rupture after the May 2010 Israel Defense Forces raid on the Mavi Marmara, which was attempting to breach the Gaza blockade.
The Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak, which is close to Islamic elements in that country, reported yesterday that during the Geneva conversation Ciechanover said Israel is prepared to apologize to Turkey for killing nine Turkish citizens on the ship and would pay compensation to the victims' families.
Ciechanover reportedly told Sinirlioglu that Israel expects, in return for these steps, that Turkey will normalize relations between the countries, return its ambassador to Tel Aviv and allow the Israeli ambassador to return to Ankara. According to the Turkish report, Ciechanover told Sinirlioglu of Israel's concern that even if it did what Turkey was demanding, it would not receive an appropriate quid pro quo and relations would not return to what they had been before.
Sinirlioglu reportedly responded that if Israel met Turkish demands, the government in Ankara would regard it as a "new leaf" in bilateral relations, and would respond as Israel requests. With that, Sinirlioglu stressed that in addition to an apology and the payment of compensation, Turkey is demanding that Israel move toward removing the Gaza blockade.
According to the report, Ciechanover did not categorically reject the proposal regarding the blockade. He noted it was a process that would take time, and that in any case Israel would need to receive guarantees from Turkey that removing the blockade would not undermine Israel's security.The compensation is nothing new - Israel offered that two years ago, although frankly it was ridiculous then and is even more ridiculous now. But until now the apology was not going to happen (Israel suggested other language that fell short of the Turkish demands) and opening the Gaza blockade was out of the question.
The fact that Israel is even considering doing this is absurd. We've been vindicated by two blue-ribbon panels - our own and the UN's. It makes absolutely no sense to undermine our position this way. Turkey is not going to side with us against Iran or allow us to use their airspace.
What could go wrong?
Labels: IHH, Islamic terrorism, Mavi Marmara, Turkish obsession with Israel
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:06 AM
4 Comments:
Will former chief of General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, former OC Navy Eliezer Marom, former OC Air Force Amos Yadlin and former head of Air Force intelligence Avishay Levi. Have to serve their prison sentenes as well?
The prosecutor wants prison sentences of more than 18,000 years for each of them for their roles in the Mavi Marmara incident.
Will former chief of General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, former OC Navy Eliezer Marom, former OC Air Force Amos Yadlin and former head of Air Force intelligence Avishay Levi. Have to serve their prison sentenes as well?
The prosecutor wants prison sentences of more than 18,000 years for each of them for their roles in the Mavi Marmara incident.
I would like to see Turkey take over the management of Gaza in toto. All electricity, goods, services, fuel, etc, all of it delivered by Turkey and be the responsibility solely of Turkey. Like a little Ottoman colony. Let them deal with those horribly ungrateful ungovernable violent psychotic people. In fact let them all establish residency in Turkey. An apology is nonsense. If that all it takes to eject the scum, worth it.
With good behaviour they will get out early, they probably will only
have to do half time.
I can't believe how crazy the whole thing is- Apologizing for defending a country???
Those Turks- it is TIME for them to apologize to the Armenians.
Mark my words, as long as this turkish government is in power, there won't be normal relations.
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