Israel Says It Won’t Apologize to Turkey for Deadly Flotilla Raid

[bemildred]

JERUSALEM — Israel has decided not to apologize to Turkey for last year’s deadly raid on a Turkish protest flotilla bound for Gaza ahead of a United Nations report on the episode scheduled to be published early next week, according to a senior Israeli official.

Turkey has demanded an official apology, compensation to victims’ relatives and a lifting of the blockade on Gaza as conditions for normalizing its heavily strained relations with Israel, formerly an important ally.

The Obama administration is keen to see Israel and Turkey repair relations and has been urging Israel to apologize.

A diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the subject, said the American request for such an apology was reiterated on Tuesday in a phone call between Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/18/world/middleeast/18mideast.html

[Poll_Blind]

1. Israel never misses a chance to miss a chance.

(sigh)

PB

[Harmony Blue]

4. That about sums it up

And they were this close to mending the fence with Turkey again..but...geez...it is like that kid on the corner of the block that says rude things to the all the other kids on the block, and then complains no one wants to play with him lol.

[dgibby]

2. We should withold a few billion. Might make them more contrite. n/t

[Hardrada]

3. Bush would never apologize either. Lot of that going around.

[shira]

5. Good. Israel can't allow Turkey to shit all over them. n/t

[Harmony Blue]

8. Turkey is a neighbor

Not a child to talk down to.

[shira]

9. So is Israel. Turkey shouldn't have sent a war party to break a legal blockade...

...only to demand Israel apologize for Turkey's irresponsibility.

[Harmony Blue]

10. Insinuating that Turkey was behind the flotilla is an extreme

stretch. Asking for an apology doesn't make Israel look inferior by any means, so ego truly is in the way of common sense.

[shira]

11. Google Turkey and the IHH. They knew very well what was going to happen. Even the UN...

....criticized Turkey for its role with the IHH in the Palmer Report WRT the flotilla.

[AnOhioan]

12. But it is ok if Israel is the shitter.

[Mosby]

6. Good, if anything Turkey should be doing the apologizing for allowing terrorists on the flotilla.

[King_David]

7. Apologize for what ? nt

[Alamuti Lotus]

13. good -- the Turks are fools to pursue any reconciliation with that criminal entity anyway

Granted the civilian leadership is being prodded by the US State Dept and the Turkish military -- both of which have sizable cash banked on the "special relationship" with the occupying entity and all corresponding arms sales..

And it's nice to see that the e-hasbara brigade sees no issue whatsoever with what has basically been determined to be premediated murder, just as long as it's their boys holding the murder weapons; "true colours" are always the prettiest, even when they're actually very ugly. It's like having FM Lieberman right here alongside us to deliver the message of the day, everyday.

[henank]

17. Who determined that it was premeditated murder?

Where do you get your ideas from? Do you have a hard time inventing these lies or do they pop into your head all casual-like while you're in the bath?

Who did the determining? Who classified Israel's actions as murder, let alone premeditated?

The UN report about to be published apparently supports Israel's narrative.

The only premeditating murderers on board that ship were the IHH personnel and their criminal fellow travellers from the US and Europe.

[shira]

18. Right. Long live Assad, Hezbollah, and Hamas!

Really, who needs al-Manar when we have it here in DU's very own I/P, all day every day?

:eyes:

[King_David]

19. Ha ,are you for real?

'with the occupying entity '

Why not :

'the Zionist entity'? or 'The Jewish entity'?

Ha Ha Ha ha

[Alamuti Lotus]

20. I was afraid I was on ignore; good to see y'all pouncing on me like a pack this mornin'

These prattling questions are not really worth an answer, but by some impish impulse I will provide a few unsatisfying attempts anyway:
__"the Jewish entity" is not a terribly accurate phrase, and doesn't have a really smooth flow to it; beyond aesthetics, and regardless of whether you accept this line of argument or not (and I'm expecting "not", and not particularly caring), the issue is not with "the Jews" in general, but primarily that particularly irksome subset of sanctimonious hypocrites that self-identify themselves under various forms as "Zionist". But I have indeed been known to belt out "the zionist entity" on special occasion, however in both the interests of word variety and flying under the administrative radar ("Zionist" is a phrase specifically identified in the rules here as being something to avoid usage of in a generic or inflammatory context), certain other euphemisms are more commonly relied on;--in a longer posting, a good drinking game would be to count how many distinct variations are employed without repetition.

And as a face-planting aside: you asking me if I'm for real? Nice.

[King_David]

21. Comedy is best left to Comedians

And if you are a comedian, apologies, but nobody would recognize you as one.

[Violet_Crumble]

14. Nothing like a brainless extreme RW govt sticking to its guns!

Let's not worry about such trivial things about mending rifts with allies! Let's just run with the 'We Never Need To Apologise For Anything Ever!' line!

[King_David]

15. Israel has nothing at all to apologize for, never apologize for combating terrorism nt

[King_David]

16. If anything Turkey should apologize for their terrorist nationals on that boat nt

[eyl]

23. While I'm not sure I agree with the decision,

I don't think it's unjustified (or at least unjustifiable). While I think it might be wise for Israel to apologize, that's from pragmatic considerations, not because I think an apology is actually owed. And given that Turkey is requiring an apology plus reperations plus removal of the blockade (the latter is especially annoying as a demand, given that apparently the Palemer report is going to rule the blockade is legal), I don't think Israel is required o offer that apology. And as far as mending fences is concerned, let's be realistic - Erdogan has been busily demolishing relations between Israel and Turkey (not that anyone outside of Israel called him on it) since the beginning of 2009, I doubt the situation will be restored regardless of whether Israel apologizes or not).

[shira]

24. +1 n/t

[hack89]

22. Good - they have nothing to apologize for. nt