Jigs
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Monday, December 27, 2010
JERUSALEM - Agence France-Presse
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman vowed Sunday that Israel would not apologize to Turkey for a commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship, but the prime minister’s office later said Lieberman was “only expressing a personal view.”
Speaking in Jerusalem at a meeting of Israel’s ambassadors, the foreign minister said Ankara’s demand for an apology before normalizing relations between the longtime allies was “chutzpah.”
“The ones who have to apologize are the government of Turkey for supporting terror,” he said, adding, “There will be no apology” from Israel.
But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, in a statement, later distanced itself from the foreign minister.
Lieberman was “only expressing a personal opinion, like other ministers do,” it said. “Mr. Netanyahu is the only one who can express the position of Israel” on the dispute with Turkey.
Relations between once-close allies Turkey and Israel have frayed almost to the breaking point in the past year over Israel’s May 31 raid on a flotilla of aid ships seeking to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The naval operation killed eight Turks and one American of Turkish descent and drew international condemnation, prompting a deep crisis in relations with Ankara.
There is significant Israeli opposition to issuing an apology for the incident, particularly because it could be seen as an admission of liability and open Israel or its troops to prosecution in international courts.
Relations between Israel and Turkey were already strained before the raid, over Israel’s devastating war on Gaza launched in late December 2008.
Israel was also unhappy with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s frequent outbursts against Tel Aviv and his defense of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which rules Gaza.
Turkey and Israel had enjoyed a decade of close ties since 1996, when they signed a military-cooperation agreement, and Ankara even facilitated exploratory peace talks between Israel and Syria.
On Sunday, the Turkish vessel that was the target of Israel’s deadly naval raid received a rapturous welcome from thousands as it arrived back in Istanbul after a lengthy refit.
Crowds waving Turkish and Palestinian flags lined the quayside, many chanting “Allah is Great,” as the Mavi Marmara berthed.
According to the boat’s owner, a Turkish campaign group called the Humanitarian Relief Foundation, or İHH, the Mavi Marmara will be part of a new flotilla that will leave for Gaza on May 31, 2011, exactly one year after the deadly raid.
JERUSALEM - Agence France-Presse
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman vowed Sunday that Israel would not apologize to Turkey for a commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship, but the prime minister’s office later said Lieberman was “only expressing a personal view.”
Speaking in Jerusalem at a meeting of Israel’s ambassadors, the foreign minister said Ankara’s demand for an apology before normalizing relations between the longtime allies was “chutzpah.”
“The ones who have to apologize are the government of Turkey for supporting terror,” he said, adding, “There will be no apology” from Israel.
But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, in a statement, later distanced itself from the foreign minister.
Lieberman was “only expressing a personal opinion, like other ministers do,” it said. “Mr. Netanyahu is the only one who can express the position of Israel” on the dispute with Turkey.
Relations between once-close allies Turkey and Israel have frayed almost to the breaking point in the past year over Israel’s May 31 raid on a flotilla of aid ships seeking to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The naval operation killed eight Turks and one American of Turkish descent and drew international condemnation, prompting a deep crisis in relations with Ankara.
There is significant Israeli opposition to issuing an apology for the incident, particularly because it could be seen as an admission of liability and open Israel or its troops to prosecution in international courts.
Relations between Israel and Turkey were already strained before the raid, over Israel’s devastating war on Gaza launched in late December 2008.
Israel was also unhappy with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s frequent outbursts against Tel Aviv and his defense of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which rules Gaza.
Turkey and Israel had enjoyed a decade of close ties since 1996, when they signed a military-cooperation agreement, and Ankara even facilitated exploratory peace talks between Israel and Syria.
On Sunday, the Turkish vessel that was the target of Israel’s deadly naval raid received a rapturous welcome from thousands as it arrived back in Istanbul after a lengthy refit.
Crowds waving Turkish and Palestinian flags lined the quayside, many chanting “Allah is Great,” as the Mavi Marmara berthed.
According to the boat’s owner, a Turkish campaign group called the Humanitarian Relief Foundation, or İHH, the Mavi Marmara will be part of a new flotilla that will leave for Gaza on May 31, 2011, exactly one year after the deadly raid.
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