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No decision on Turkey’s apology condition by Israeli ministers
The eight-minister forum convened on Sunday to discuss the relations between Israel and Turkey but made no decisions regarding issuing an apology to Ankara over the flotilla incident, the Israel-based Ynet news website reported.
The forum is scheduled to convene again in the next few days, though no meeting has been slated with Turkish representatives, Ynet reported briefly.
Sunday's meeting was the second meeting over the issue. The forum convened 10 days ago but was unable to yield a result over the issue.
Turkey's stance against Israel grew more negative again last year after the raid on board the Mavi Marmara that claimed the lives of nine people, eight of them Turkish, the ninth a Turkish-American. Relations further soured when Israeli officials failed to issue an apology and admit culpability for the fatalities and defended the killings by saying they were in self-defense. The two countries are currently awaiting a report from the United Nations to settle the debate on the raid, the results of which Turkey thinks will be in its favor. Turkey defined the killings as homicides. The report has been delayed for months to allow Israel to strike a deal with Turkey, but Israel has taken no public action to ameliorate the situation so far.
Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon on Monday reiterated his disapproval of caving in to Turkey's demand for apology, while calling Ankara's request “rude.”
Ya'alon was among the ministers who attended Sunday's meeting.
“There was a provocation here that the Turkish government is also responsible for,” Ya'alon was quoted as saying by The Jerusalem Post in remarks delivered to Israel Radio. “It wasn't our side that spoiled relations and I expect they will not [restore diplomatic relations] even after the apology,” he also suggested.
The Jerusalem Post underlined that Ya'alon echoed comments he made two weeks earlier that while Israel agreed to express regret for the loss of lives, it would not apologize. There is a huge difference, Ya'alon said, because an apology means taking responsibility for the action.
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