This is a dark day for Israel. The people on the Mavi Marmara flotilla were genocidal Jew-hating jihadis, as you can see in the video above: they were chanting a jihad war cry recalling Muhammad’s massacre of the Jews of Arabia: “Khybar, Khybar, O Jews, the army of Muhammad will return.” See the photos here of their weapons. In rapidly re-Islamizing Turkey, the fact that Israel fought back against these jihadis is a serious offense. And now Israel, under pressure from Obama, has apologized for defending itself, and set a precedent that it can be pressured into making self-defeating concessions after doing so.
“Turkey, Israel make US-brokered peace after Mavi Marmara apology,” from Today’s Zaman, March 22 (thanks to Joshua):
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered an apology to Turkey for a 2010 raid on an aid flotilla that resulted in the deaths of eight Turks and a Turkish American, ending a deep crisis in ties between the two former allies.
In a statement carried by Reuters, Netanyahu said he “expressed apology” to the Turkish people for any error that could have led to loss of life in the flotilla incident. He also said Israel has agreed to pay compensation to the families of the victims and that Israel and Turkey agree to work together to improve the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories.
A Turkish official in Ankara confirmed the apology, telling Today’s Zaman that Netanyahu called ErdoÄŸan to offer an apology and that ErdoÄŸan accepted it.
The breakthrough came as a result of what appears to be a US bid to normalize relations between the two former allies. News of the apology came just after President Barack Obama said that ErdoÄŸan and Netanyahu spoke on the phone on Friday. The announcement came hours after Obama wrapped up a visit to Israel.
“I am hopeful that today’s exchange between the two leaders will enable them to engage in deeper cooperation on this and a range of other challenges and opportunities,” Obama said in the statement released by the White House. “The United States deeply values our close partnerships with both Turkey and Israel, and we attach great importance to the restoration of positive relations between them in order to advance regional peace and security.”
Netanyahu promised ErdoÄŸan that he will lift restrictions to goods civilian people will use in Palestinian territories, including Gaza, and this will continue until peace holds.