Turkish Politics & Internal Affairs

[Yuuki]

Israel's Netanyahu apologizes to Turkey for Mavi Marmara raid

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan. (Photo: Today's Zaman)
22 March 2013 /REUTERS, JERUSALEM
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to Turkey for deaths caused by the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, a US official has said.
The prime ministers of Israel and Turkey also spoke by telephone on Friday, US President Barack Obama said, ending his visit to Israel with the announcement of a diplomatic breakthrough between the two divided US allies.

Relations between Israel and its former strategic partner, Turkey, were badly frayed in 2010 when Israeli marines killed nine Turkish activists after boarding a boat challenging Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

In a statement released by the White House only minutes before Obama flew out of Tel Aviv to Jordan on Air Force One, the president said Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke by telephone on Friday.

"The United States deeply values our close partnerships with both Turkey and Israel, and we attach great importance to the restoration of positive relations between them in order to advance regional peace and security," Obama said.

"I am hopeful that today's exchange between the two leaders will enable them to engage in deeper cooperation on this and a range of other challenges and opportunities," he added.

The statement gave no details about the Netanyahu-Erdoğan conversation -- the first between the two men since the Turkish vessel, the Mavi Marmara, was intercepted off Gaza.

A spokesman for Netanyahu, who held last-minute talks with Obama at Tel Aviv airport at the end of his three-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, had no immediate comment.

Turkey has demanded a formal apology from Israel over the deadly naval raid, compensation for victims and their families and for the Gaza blockade to be lifted.

Ankara expelled Israel's ambassador and froze military cooperation after a UN report into the incident, released in September 2011, largely exonerated the Jewish state.

Israel has voiced "regret", short of the full apology demanded, and has offered to pay into what it called a "humanitarian fund" through which casualties and relatives could be compensated.

An improvement in Israel-Turkey ties would help regional coordination to contain spillover from the Syrian civil war.

Israel's Netanyahu apologizes to Turkey for Mavi Marmara raid

 

[T-123456]

Wow,i just heard the news.
Who said he wouldnt apologize?
As i stated before in so many posts,Turkey and Israel cannot stay apart.
They need each other.

 

[KingMamba]

Interesting, the ball is now in Erdogans court. He no longer has a reason to be hostile to the Israelis as his one demand was met but we will now see how much he values support from the rest of the middle east he was supposedly pandering to.

 

[T-123456]

Interesting, the ball is now in Erdogans court. He no longer has a reason to be hostile to the Israelis as his one demand was met but we will now see how much he values support from the rest of the middle east he was supposedly pandering to.

No,he had one more demand.
I think he will use that one(Gaza blockade)to keep things as it is.

 

[KingMamba]

No,he had one more demand.
I think he will use that one(Gaza blockade)to keep things as it is.

Oh yeah, I forgot about that one. Anyway we shall see soon enough.

 

[XILLAX]

absolutly bs.

i dont think it is real. cant belive it without a video proof.

 

[T-123456]

israel needs turkey....


siyonistlre bukemeyecekleri eli opecekler okadar...

HAHAHAHAH,guldurdun beni.
Believe me we need them to ,its mutual interests.

 

[what]

Good Job, Israel.

HAHAHAHAH,guldurdun beni.
Believe me we need them to ,its mutual interests.

The only two at least halfway sane countries in the region if you ask me.

 

[T-123456]

Good Job, Israel.




The only two at least halfway sane countries in the region if you ask me.

Im waiting for the reaction of the Sultan.

 

[BordoEnes]

Hmmm interesting, Seems Israel is starting to feel the heat under there feet. After Obama made some sensitive comments about Israeli settelments in Palestine. Well i must admit i am a little happy, Israel was a crucial supplier of Turkish army with cost-effective and cheap equipment.

Wonder what @500 , @Archdemon and @PteX thoughts are about this.

 

[TurAr]

As expected...

@Archdemon

Probably...

 

[Neptune]

That's how it supposed to be. As I said everywhere. When it comes to country things, we should never think religious, our national interests comes first! I just watched an interview with Obama. He said, he supports an independant palestine state.

(İsrail özür diledi, obama da filistine devlet istiyo, pkk ile görüşümeler var, ilk defa şehit haberi duymamak bu kadar uzun sürdü. Ne oluyo lan! Kıyamet mi kopuyo yoksa )

 

[Axa-]

Netanyahu, relating to Erdogan's demands that Israel lift the blockade of Gaza, pointed out that Israel has already lifted some limitations and the passage of goods and people to the Palestinian territories, including Gaza, and that this will continue as long as quiet is preserved.

The two leaders agreed to continue to work together in order to improve the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories.''

Netanyahu makes apology to Turkey over 2010 Gaza flotilla | JPost | Israel News

 

[what]

Im waiting for the reaction of the Sultan.

He accepted the apology, end of the storry. He will probably now cut his Anti-Israel rhetoric a bit.

 

[BordoEnes]

Damn, Random Sh@t be happening!

First PKK is laying down its arms, Second EU and Russia be pissing all over Cyprus and now Israeli PM apologizes.