Turkey Israel make US brokered peace after Mavi Marmara apology
22 March 2013 /TODAY'S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered an apology to Turkey for a 2010 raid on an aid flotilla that resulted in the deaths of eight Turks and a Turkish American, ending a deep crisis in ties between the two former allies.
In a statement carried by Reuters, Netanyahu said he “expressed apology” to the Turkish people for any error that could have led to loss of life in the flotilla incident. He also said Israel has agreed to pay compensation to the families of the victims and that Israel and Turkey agree to work together to improve the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories.
A Turkish official in Ankara confirmed the apology, telling Today's Zaman that Netanyahu called Erdoğan to offer an apology and that Erdoğan accepted it.
The breakthrough came as a result of what appears to be a US bid to normalize relations between the two former allies. News of the apology came just after President Barack Obama said that Erdoğan and Netanyahu spoke on the phone on Friday. The announcement came hours after Obama wrapped up a visit to Israel.
"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," Obama said in the statement released by the White House. "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.”
Turkey has expelled the Israeli ambassador and severed military ties with Israel in protest of the Israeli refusal to apologize for the killing of the eight Turks and a Turkish American by Israeli commandos during a raid on the Mavi Marmara ship, part of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, in 2010.
Media reports had said the Turkish-Israeli ties were on the agenda during Obama's talks with Israeli leaders. Obama ended his three-day trip to Israel by a visit to the grave of Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism who died in 1904.
Some said the visit to Herzl's grave was an indirect message to Turkey as well, given that it came in the wake of a speech in late February by Erdoğan in which the Turkish prime minister described Zionism as a “crime against humanity” along with fascism and anti-Semitism. The speech drew condemnation from Israel and the United States and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Erdoğan said this week that his remarks on Zionism, made during an Alliance of Civilizations meeting in Vienna, should not be misinterpreted by anyone, adding that his comments were directed at Israeli policies in Gaza.
In an interview with the Danish Politiken daily, Erdoğan said he stands behind his remarks against Zionism, claiming that his intent was to criticize Israel's policies of expansion in the occupied territories. “I know that my remarks created controversy, but no one should misunderstand my statements. Everyone knows that my criticism targeted certain critical issues, particularly Israeli policies in Gaza,” Erdoğan said. "On the other hand, we recognized and still recognize Israel as a state within the 1967 boundaries. It should not be forgotten that we have hosted in our country a number of Israeli presidents and prime ministers as part of our peace efforts," Erdoğan was quoted as telling the Danish daily by the Anatolia news agency.
"Turkey, like it did in the past, supports all international and regional efforts for a just, lasting and comprehensive solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within the perspective of a two-state solution. My several speeches openly condemning anti-Semitism demonstrate my stance. In this regard, I stand behind my speech in Vienna."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered an apology to Turkey for a 2010 raid on an aid flotilla that resulted in the deaths of eight Turks and a Turkish American, ending a deep crisis in ties between the two former allies.
In a statement carried by Reuters, Netanyahu said he “expressed apology” to the Turkish people for any error that could have led to loss of life in the flotilla incident. He also said Israel has agreed to pay compensation to the families of the victims and that Israel and Turkey agree to work together to improve the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories.
A Turkish official in Ankara confirmed the apology, telling Today's Zaman that Netanyahu called Erdoğan to offer an apology and that Erdoğan accepted it.
The breakthrough came as a result of what appears to be a US bid to normalize relations between the two former allies. News of the apology came just after President Barack Obama said that Erdoğan and Netanyahu spoke on the phone on Friday. The announcement came hours after Obama wrapped up a visit to Israel.
"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," Obama said in the statement released by the White House. "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.”
Turkey has expelled the Israeli ambassador and severed military ties with Israel in protest of the Israeli refusal to apologize for the killing of the eight Turks and a Turkish American by Israeli commandos during a raid on the Mavi Marmara ship, part of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, in 2010.
Media reports had said the Turkish-Israeli ties were on the agenda during Obama's talks with Israeli leaders. Obama ended his three-day trip to Israel by a visit to the grave of Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism who died in 1904.
Some said the visit to Herzl's grave was an indirect message to Turkey as well, given that it came in the wake of a speech in late February by Erdoğan in which the Turkish prime minister described Zionism as a “crime against humanity” along with fascism and anti-Semitism. The speech drew condemnation from Israel and the United States and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Erdoğan said this week that his remarks on Zionism, made during an Alliance of Civilizations meeting in Vienna, should not be misinterpreted by anyone, adding that his comments were directed at Israeli policies in Gaza.
In an interview with the Danish Politiken daily, Erdoğan said he stands behind his remarks against Zionism, claiming that his intent was to criticize Israel's policies of expansion in the occupied territories. “I know that my remarks created controversy, but no one should misunderstand my statements. Everyone knows that my criticism targeted certain critical issues, particularly Israeli policies in Gaza,” Erdoğan said. "On the other hand, we recognized and still recognize Israel as a state within the 1967 boundaries. It should not be forgotten that we have hosted in our country a number of Israeli presidents and prime ministers as part of our peace efforts," Erdoğan was quoted as telling the Danish daily by the Anatolia news agency.
"Turkey, like it did in the past, supports all international and regional efforts for a just, lasting and comprehensive solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within the perspective of a two-state solution. My several speeches openly condemning anti-Semitism demonstrate my stance. In this regard, I stand behind my speech in Vienna."
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