Israel Determined not to Extend Apology for Marmara Attack

Turkey stands firm on its demand for Israel to apologize to the families of nine people killed in a raid on a Gaza flotilla by Israeli soldiers last year. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu rejects any apology, according to an official

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdoğan said Wednesday it was impossible for Turkish-Israeli relations to return to normal unless Israel apologizes to Turkey for the killing of nine Turks aboard the Mavi Marmara, a Gaza-bound aid ship, and lifts the embargo on Gaza. “Turkey will not take a step back. From now on we will act with the families who lost their relatives in the flotilla attack,” said Erdoğan.

An Israeli official said earlier Wednesday that Israel would stick to its refusal to apologize to Turkey, dampening any prospects for reconciliation between the former allies. The decision, which the official said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conveyed to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a telephone call, was made days before the publication of the findings of a U.N. inquiry into the seizure of the Mavi Marmara last year, Reuters reported.

The so-called Palmer Report was repeatedly delayed to allow for Israeli-Turkish rapprochement talks amid concern in Washington over the rift between two countries that had been strategic partners in an increasingly stormy Middle East. Israeli officials, citing advance copies of the report, have said it would vindicate Israel’s blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Turkey, which like Israel had a delegate on the U.N. panel headed by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer, has said it would not accept such a finding.

The Mavi Marmara was part of an activist flotilla bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza when it was boarded by Israeli marines on the Mediterranean high seas on May 31, 2010. The marines shot dead nine Turks, including a dual U.S. citizen, during fierce deck brawls.
Netanyahu voiced regret over the killings. But Turkey insisted on a formal apology and compensation for those bereaved and injured.Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot said Wednesday Israeli diplomats in Washington handed the government a message from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying the Israel-Turkey crisis was interfering with US attempts to deal with the bloodshed in Syria. A similar message was given to Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak when he visited Washington in late July, when Clinton asked him to do everything in his power to resolve the crisis — “including apologise,” the paper said. “We’re firm on not apologizing,” the Israeli official said. Asked if Israel might change tack after the Palmer Report’s publication, the official said: “Why would we do that? We know the report supports our position.”

Quartet condemns Israeli settlements

The United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations on Tuesday attacked Israel’s move to expand a West Bank settlement as a threat to peace efforts.

The new public condemnation of Israel came amid intense efforts by Tony Blair, the diplomatic Quartet’s special envoy, to get the Palestinians and Israelis back into direct talks, diplomats reported. “The Quartet is greatly concerned by Israel’s recent announcements to advance planning for new housing units in Ariel and east Jerusalem,” the four said in a statement.

“This comes at a critical juncture with Quartet efforts ongoing to resume negotiations which are the only way to a just and durable solution to the conflict,” added the statement. Israel on Monday approved the building of 277 new homes in Ariel, a Jewish settlement inside the occupied West Bank, taking the total to more than 2,700 new settler homes approved in the past two weeks. The planned expansion has brought a furious response from the Palestinian Authority, which has shunned direct talks since Israel ended a moratorium on settlement building in September last year. Israel has rejected the international criticism, insisting that the settlements are not an obstacle to direct talks. “The Palestinians have negotiated many times when settlements were in existence,” said Israel’s UN ambassador Ron Prosor.

August 17, 2011

SOURCE: HURRIYET DAILY NEWS