No apology to Turkey
Israel will stick to its refusal to apologize to Turkey for killing nine of its citizens aboard a Gaza-bound ship, an Israeli official said yesterday, dampening any prospects for reconciliation between the former allies.
The decision was conveyed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a telephone call.
The ship was attacked by Israeli marines on the Mediterranean high seas on May 31, 2010 killing nineTurks, including a dual US 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, which Israel initially rejected as tantamount to admitting culpability for an action it deems self-defence.
Defence Minister Ehud Barak, a centrist in Netanyahu's conservative coalition government, has since stirred debate inside the cabinet by proposing Israel offer a diluted apology in hope of restoring ties with what was once a rare Muslim ally of the Jewish state.
"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."
The Turkish embassy had no immediate comment.
Kurt Hoyer, spokesman for the US embassy, said Washington wanted Israel and Turkey "to look for opportunities to get past the current strains in their bilateral relations." He would not comment on the conversation the Israeli official said had taken place on Tuesday between Netanyahu and Clinton.
In arguing for accommodating the Turks, Barak had said this would help indemnify Israel's navy personnel against lawsuits abroad. The Palmer report would contain some criticism of Israeli tactics aboard the Mavi Marmara, Barak said.
His most vocal opponent in the Israeli cabinet was Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who noted that Ankara's Islamist-rooted government also demands an end to the Gaza blockade.
Israel calls the measure a precaution against arms reaching Hamas and other Palestinian guerrillas by sea. Palestinians and their supporters describe the blockade as illegal collective punishment.
The United Nations has said it expects to release the Palmer report this month. Israeli officials gave August 22 as the publication date.
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