Behind closed doors at the Ben Gurion International Airport, President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a joint phone call to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Netanyahu made an official apology to the Turkish president for the deadly 2010 raid on a Turkish ship. In May of 2010, an Israeli naval commandoes killed nine activists, eight of them Turkish and one Turkish-American, during the bungled raid on the Mavi Marmara as it tried to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.
“In light of Israel’s investigation into the incident, which pointed to a number of operational mistakes, the prime minister expressed Israel’s apology to the Turkish people for any mistakes that might have led to the loss of life or injury,” a statement from Netanyahu’s office said.
An apology for this is a huge step toward repairing the relationship between the two nations. The implications are perhaps even farther reaching. This is arguably the first time since 1948 that Israel regrets a military action.
This is a great success coming out of Obama’s latest tour of the Middle East.
“When the triangle between the U.S., Israel and Turkey is working together, it is something that no one can ignore,” said Alon Liel, a former Israeli envoy to Turkey who has been briefed on Israel-Turkey reconciliation talks. “These are the main military and economic powers in the region and the only stable countries.”
“During my visit it appeared the timing was good for that conversation to take place,” Obama said at a news conference in Amman. “I discussed it with Mr. Netanyahu and both of us agreed the moment was right.”
