Israel Matzav

Netanyahu apologizes to Turkey, Erdogan says too soon to drop 'trial' of IDF officers

Shavua tov, a good week to everyone. We were away for the Sabbath, and therefore I'm getting a late start.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has apologized to Turkey for the Mavi Marmara incident in 2010, telling Israelis that the apology was necessitated by the ongoing civil war in Syria. Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan has responded by saying it's 'too soon' to stop the 'trial' in absentia of a group of former IDF officers.

This is from the second link.

"It is important that Turkey and Israel, that both border with Syria, could communicate with each other," Netanyahu wrote, noting the restoration of ties is also needed to deal with other regional challenges.

"The constantly changing reality around us forces us to reexamine our relations with countries in the region all the time," the prime minister wrote.

"Syria is crumbling, and its massive and advanced weapons arsenal is starting to fall into the hands of different factions. The biggest risk is [Syria's] chemical weapons falling into the hands of terror organizations," he added.

In a dramatic development that occurred just as US President Barack Obama was leaving the country, Netanyahu spoke with Erdogan on Friday, voicing regret for the loss of life in the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, apologizing for any mistakes that led to the death of Turkish activists. Breaking a three-year deadlock, the two agreed to normalize relations.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed an apology to the Turkish people for any error that may have led to the loss of life, and agreed to complete the agreement for compensation," a White House statement said.

The conversation was facilitated by Obama, taking place during his prolonged meeting with Netanyahu on Friday afternoon.

I think this is a mistake, and I don't believe it's going to change anything in our relations with Turkey. Erdogan is an anti-Semite and he is not going to restore relations with Israel to what they once were.

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

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:56 PM