Israel Matzav

Did Bibi grovel in front of Erdogan?

Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett lashed out at Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan on Wednesday night, complaining that Erdogan's actions since last Friday's phone call with Prime Minister Netanyahu are making Israel regret Netanyahu's apology.

“It seems that since [Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s] apology, Erdogan is doing everything to make Israel regret it”, Bennett wrote in his official Facebook page. “He is running a personal and vitriolic campaign at the expense of Israeli-Turkish relations.” 

And it's only getting worse, I'm afraid. Netanyahu's office might want to consider releasing a transcript if it would counteract this. 

“The point we have arrived at as a result of our consultations with all our brothers in Palestine and peripheral countries is increasing our responsibility with regard to solving the Palestinian question and thus is bringing about a new equation,” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in his address to his lawmakers yesterday at the Parliament. Erdoğan added that Israel agreed to make cooperation with Turkey on carrying out talks with Palestine for the Middle East peace process.

He said all his regional interlocutors, including Khaled Mashaal of the Hamas, admit that a new era has begun in the Middle East what they all call after Turkish victory on Israeli apology.

Erdoğan outlined the details of his phone conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama that brought about the long-expected Israeli apology to Turkey over the killings of nine Turkish citizens on the board of the Mavi Marmara vessel carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. Erdoğan said his conversation with Netanyahu took place under the witness of Obama but he wanted first to talk with the US President as he missed his voice.

“I talked to him and we have reviewed the text and confirmed the (apology) process. we have therefore accomplished this process under Obama’s witness,” Erdoğan said, adding this phone conversation has also been recorded alongside with written statements issued from all three sides. “We have made the process safe.”

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Apologizing for the Mavi Marmara killings, Israel did also accept to pay compenstaion to the families of the victims and remove its blockade on Gaza. Technical talks on how the compesnation will be piad will be discussed in april between senior diplomats of both countries as part of the deal recahed between Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni.

Erdoğan repeated that they will closely follow the implementation of this deal and he would visit Gaza and West Bank in April in order to witness the blockade imposed by Israeli government. “Turkey will continue to do its best for the reconstruction of Gaza and for overcoming humanitarian problems,” he said, underlining that Turkey’s approach towrds Israel will depend on Israeli fulfillment of its commitments.

“This apology and steps (to be taken by Israel) will of course not bring our martyrs massacred on the Mavi Marmara board back to us and will not compensate inhuman treatments towards Palestine for decades. But I believe this apology is very important for the memory of ours and Palestine’s martyrs,” he added. Recalling his talks with Meshaal, Erdoğan said the Hamas leader expressed his happiness out of the development and said he really felt affected. The two have also agreed to meet in Palestine during Erdoğan’s soon-to-be made visit. 

The problem is that Erdogan is likely telling the truth. The ever pliable Mr. Netanyahu has likely allowed himself to be manipulated by President Hussein Obama into giving the Nazi Erdogan everything he wanted.

What could go wrong?

Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu, Gaza blockade, Mavi Marmara, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish obsession with Israel

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:04 PM