I must admit that I actually feel a slight twinge of sympathy for poor Yvet Lieberman. He was abandoned by his boss, the prime minister, in today’s Knesset vote rejecting putting human rights NGOs on the hot seat for their work in Israel. The foreign minister had hoped to put the screws to groups like B’Tselem, New Israel Fund, and Yesh Gvul, whom he’s likened to “Kapos” in the past for their alleged delegitimizing of Israel. Today’s defeat has got to smart.
Now comes news from Turkey that a compromise agreement is in the offing which would resolve all outstanding differences between Israel and that country. But there’s one catch: Israel will have to apologize to Turkey for murdering nine of its citizens on the Mavi Marmara last year. This really sticks in Lieberman’s craw. He’s a proud ex-Kahanist for whom apologies are a bitter pill to swallow. Jews don’t apologize. They make others apologize.
Lieberman single-handedly torpedoed an earlier agreement between the two sides containing such language. The fact that the Turks are speaking publicly about an impending agreement and that they’re explicitly saying it will contain an apology is yet another defeat for the foreign minister at the hands of his boss, Bibi Netnayahu. It signals that Yvet is much the junior partner in this government. Someone for whom his votes are useful. But not someone who is feared or even respected. That too has got to sting for Lieberman who’s the prototypical Israeli Rodney Dangerfield (“I don’t get no respect.”).
For Turkey, such an apology has been worth cancelling Turkish participation in this year’s Gaza Flotilla. That being said, Prime Minister Erdogan doesn’t seem prepared to abandon Gaza entirely as he’s planned a trip there in the near future. Such a visit will no doubt irk Israel, which rarely allows any foreign leaders into the territory. After a resolution of their differences, it would seem impossible for the Israeli government to turn Erdogan away when he says he’s going. Having such a figure visit Gaza will further tarnish Israel’s siege of the enclave. His meetings with Hamas leaders will also irk Israel.
Finally, all of this indicates that when Israel and Turkey confronted each other, Bibi blinked first. Israel needed Turkey more than Turkey needed Israel. That being said, Turkey too showed restraint and willingness to compromise. It cancelled the Mavi Marmara’s participation in the Flotilla. It will accept a UN report which blames both Israel and Turkey for the disaster. It will swallow its pride at the humiliation suffered by its ambassador when he was hectored by Danny Ayalon. Erdogan is a proud man and such slights stung. But he has a strategic vision of where he’d like to go and isn’t allowing his pride to sidetrack him. Bibi should learn a lesson or two from him (but undoubtedly won’t).
Did you read the article, or just the title ?
“Kalin emphasized that normalization between Israel and Turkey will not happen unless Turkey’s three conditions are met: an apology, compensation and the end of the Gaza blockade.”
Israel will never agree to these terms. It can’t succumb to the Turkish terms, nor it has any reason to do so.
Israel has no reason to do any of the following due to the nature of the Palamer report. If echo’s In Israel and Turkey about the nature of the reports are right, then Israel will not end a Siege the UN committee finds legal.
If the siege is Legal, that makes the IHH move illegal. And the report ties the Turkish government to the IHH participation in last year’s flotilla.
Turkey was quiet (as a mouse in his hole) about this year’s flotilla because the report found them responsible, not because they want to mend fences.
Visit to Gaza ? Abu-Mazen will never allow that, doesn’t server his purpose, surely not before a unity government is created (which is now postponed till at least September)
This was a nice PR campaign, brought by Haaretz, nothing more.
This was just released from Ynet.
Ya’alon: Turkey’s insistence on an apology will not lead to an agreement
יעלון התייחס לדרישת טורקיה שישראל תתנצל על הרג משתתפי המשט ואמר: “הם דורשים התנצלות, הסרת הסגר ופיצויים למשפחות ההרוגים. אני לא יכול להוביל הסכם, כשהעמדה הטורקית היא כזו. התעקשותם לא יכולה להוביל להסכם”.
Yaalon addressed Turkey’s demand that Israel apologize for killing the flotilla participants and said: “They are demanding an apology, removal of the siege and compensate the families of those killed. I can not lead to agreement with the Turkish position is such. Their Insistence can not lead to an agreement.”
http://www.ynet.co.il/Ext/Comp/CdaNewsFlash/0,2297,L-4098547_184,00.html
It has many reasons to do so. An Attorney General telling Bibi he’d better do so. A U.S. president telling him he’d better do so. And a Turkish prime minister who can do much more harm to Israel’s interests than Israel can do to his.
Once again regarding what’s in the rpt,, YOU DON’T KNOW. Not even the right wing reporter-stenographers who’ve dutifully reported the junk they’ve been fed by rightist ministers know. The report will only blame Turkey (AND Israel btw) if Israel apologizes. If Israel refuses to apologize there is an alternate version of the rpt prepared which will read quite differently.
How many divisions does Abu Mazen have in Gaza? What’s he gonna do? Stand at the border crossing with a Kalashnikov in his hand stopping him fr. entering??
This is very interesting. How does this actually work? Wasn’t it prepared by an impartial inquiry, regarding past events? Why would Israel apologizing or not affect the objective findings of the commission?
How naive you are. There is a report. Large sections of it will remain the same whether or not Israel & TUrkey resolve their differences. But certain sensitive passages will undoubtedly be changed depending on what happens in the negotiation bet. the 2 countries that are ongoing.. Its release is being held up pending resolution of the Turkey-Israel disagreement. Do you really believe that reports are written in stone & are never changed based on circumstances that arise before they’re issued?
Interesting, You are saying i don’t know what’s in the report, while you claim you know what’s in the report and what’s the report structure. Care to share few phrases with US.
Could you please elaborate on the Israeli interest in apologizing to turkey ?
Oh and please link to any statement made by any US official stating Israel should apologize, i would love to see one.
If Barack Obama wanted Israel to apologize to Turkey you think he’d go shooting his mouth off about it like Yvet & Bogie do, crying that Israel can’t possibly apologize to Turkey because only sissies do that??
Not only you were privy to the report, now you are claiming to be privy to the white-house transcripts and you know what president Obama and his stuff says standing in the oval office.
With such exposure to ultra classified material, i wonder how come you weren’t recruited by foreign countries yet,or at least the CIA.
give me a brake, you were running your mouth and you can’t support that.
and by the way, neither Ivet or Bugi said Israel shouldn’t apologize because “only sissies do that”, both said that it makes no legal sense to do so, because it will not change the Turks position on the subject.
And if you read Arodgan’s statement from yesterday ( http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/262/638.html?hp=1&cat=404&loc=39)
Apology is only one of his conditions, You think Israel has any reason to remove a blockade found legal by a special committee formed by the UN general counsel ?
AbuMazen is the MossadMole. He will do what Netanyahu tells him to do. watch him when he torpedoes the coming Palestine UN vote by requesting that it be retracted or postponed. of course he will present his action to the world as his acquiescence to the demands of those responsible palestinians around him (some of whom are fools/fooled and some traitors.) if this comes to pass, netanyahu wins and palestine is sent to pasture.
Mr Ya’alon is the second for whom “apologize” is a four letter word
It won’t happen – why?
Any “apology” will have to come via the Foreign Affairs Dept.
The country’s official international rep is the Foreign Affairs Dept.
Ergo Mr Yvet Lieberman will have the one to hatch “the egg” and present it on red velvet cushion to the Turkish Foreign Affairs rep
won’t happen not even if Bibi and his whole family would consent all the while kissing Erdogan on the lips
Oy vey, what an atrocious image! But I do think that Bibi could just issue the statement himself from the PMO & circumvent Lieberman entirely. IT would certainly be a strange way of doing things, but Israel has many strange ways of doing things.
I TOLD YOU SO I TOLD YOU SO
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/barak-israel-needs-a-creative-way-of-expressing-regret-to-turkey-without-apologizing-1.375864
I think not!
Re the Knesset vote you mention Richard: Love this quote from Nahum Barena, recognised as the country’s lading commentator. “Likud ministers did not want to vote against the proposal and to be consequently punished by right-wing Likud voters,” Barnea wrote. “Full of apprehension, they went home. […] 54 Knesset members spoke in the debate, but the Prime Minister maintained his silence. He hissed his ‘no’ vote through his lips as though he swallowed hot Skhug” סְחוּג سحوق [Yemeni sambal-like sauce similar to the Tunisia Arissa]
So when will Richard Silverstein apologize to all those people he has smeared?
Unlike Israel’s navy commandos I’ve never murdered anyone, let alone using kill shots @ point blank range. So Israel does have something to apologize for. As for me, you want me to apologize to rapists, torturers, kidnappers & assassins for the stories I write about them? Sorry.
The “boss” of a minister are his voters. You know, those kikes who you hate so much, Richard.
Barry, i to think that Richard is wrong in his interpretation of the events. I think however, that your comment is outrageous, deviates from the course of a civil debate, and mostly disrespects Yourself.
You owe him an apology, and if you will not produce one, i hope he will not let you write another word.
It certainly does reflect abysmally on Barry and his upraising. But he’s an equal opportunity bigot. He’ll use nasty words about Jews and Muslims in previous comments. I’ve banned Barry once, but like a bad penny he popped up again.
Use that word or any other similar pejoratives again here & I’ll give u a good swift kick in the rear end out the door.
Barry has been banned already on almost every blog. Here too, by the way. One of his favorites is ‘genocidal Muslims’ that normally comes in all of his sentences at least once.
Sometimes u can’t tell who you’ve banned without a scorecard! I’ll have to confirm that & if you’re right I’ll ban him again. Thanks for reminding me about this. This jackass is a real piece of work & now he’d rebanned.
You RE-banned him on the file “Department of homeland security”, July 2nd, and deleted the comment. This comment was ‘softer’ than some of the others though, it only contained a ‘Satanic Mohammedans’ 🙁
Poor Barry, it makes his day to get published somewhere.
Deir, How can you be sure? A Barry here a Barry there, doesn’t mean it’s the same person.
I have ways of doublechecking this & will do so later tonight.
turkey should apologize to israel and the families of the dead.
That’s like compelling a rape victim to apologize to her attacker.
Today’s main headline in Haaretz confirms that u & Yvet will be sorely disappointed when Bibi & the Israel govt apologizes for the mess its naval commandos made.
The report will only blame Turkey (AND Israel btw) if Israel apologizes. If Israel refuses to apologize there is an alternate version of the rpt prepared which will read quite differently.
@Richard
The Turkish member of the UN inquiry has already made it clear that the report will not blame Turkey.
“What are the contents of the report, inasmuch as you can discuss it prior to its release?
There is nothing blaming Turkey or the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (İHH) for what happened.”
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-250764-turkey-israel-willing-to-mend-fences-despite-divergences.html
Claig, you demonstrate very creative reading
from the report it is clear that the committee finds Israel’s blockade Legal, and the Turks are not happy about it and do not accept it “The report said that the naval blockade was not legal. It is interesting to note that two bodies, both under the UN, have conflicting results in their reports,” Sanberk added. “I should stress that the report’s reference to the legality of the Gaza blockade is unacceptable to us. Furthermore, the report also highlights the responsibility of the Israeli soldiers for the deaths and injuries. Therefore, if Israel is ready for an apology and compensation, we are ready to leave the unfortunate event behind.”
Claig, you demonstrate very creative reading from the report it is clear that the committee finds Israel’s blockade Legal, and the Turks are not happy about it and do not accept it
@The Nudnik
The Israeli member of the committee along with Uribe who is a known supporter of Israel probably swayed Palmer to go with Israel’s view on the legality of the blockade. Which I think explains why the Turks are not happy.