http://israel-commentary.org/?p=6231
I From Professor Steven Plaut – An open letter to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Prime Minister of Turkey
Dear Mister Prime Minister:
On behalf of all of the people of Israel, I would like to apologize to you for the cowardice and fathomless idiocy of the Prime
Minister of Israel. As you know, this weekend Benjamin Netanyahu sent
you an “apology” for Israel having defended itself against the genocidal
terrorists who attacked Israeli soldiers armed only with paint guns
when they boarded the terrorist “flotilla” ship that you sent out to
challenge Israel’s naval blockade of the Hamas enclave in Gaza.
Netanyahu spoke only for himself when he apologized to you for
Israel’s defending itself and its people, this two generations after the
Holocaust. He does not represent anyone at all in the country when it
comes to this “apology.” No one else in the country, except for some
anti-Israel radical leftists with tenure at the universities, agrees
that Israel owes you an apology for defending its people.
Actually, on behalf of all REAL Israelis, I would like to apologize to you for the fact that ONLY nine terrorists were killed by
Israeli troops on the flotilla ship when Israeli soldiers were savagely
attacked by Turkish and other terrorists. I would like to apologize for
the fact that Israeli did NOT torpedo and sink the terrorist ships
trying to break the blockade and bring in aid to the Hamas Nazis. I
would like to apologize for the fact that Israel has a Prime Minister
who is so clueless, insensitive, and divorced from Jewish history that
he would consider buying a few moments of diplomat calm with a Moslem
aggressor by shaming his entire country with an “apology” to Turkey,
exhibiting one of the most disgraceful acts by a Jew in all of history, and all this just hours before the Jewish holiday of national liberation, Passover.
Beyond that, I really do think that Israel owes an apology
for NOT having done much more to draw the world’s attention to the
illegal occupation and destruction by Turkey of the jewel of Cyprus, the
city of Famagusta. Israel sat by while Turkey conquered 40%
of Cyprus and transferred tens of thousands of its own people as illegal
settlers to the island. And for that I apologize.
And since you have spent so much time in recent years denouncing
Israel as an occupier, I think Israel owes an apology to the world for
not helping to end the illegal Turkish occupation of the great ancient
Greek capital of Constantinople, now under an illegal Saracen occupation
that has continued for far too long. It is high time that
Constantinople be returned to its true heritage and its legal owners,
the Greek people.
It is less than a hundred years since the city, along with Smyrna and
other Greek homelands, was almost liberated by the Greeks, who were
only to be blocked by the Turkish military aggressors, the mass
murderers of the Armenians.
So Mister Prime Minister, as you see, I am afraid that Israelis DO
owe the world quite a few apologies. On behalf of the non-pusillanimous
citizens of Israel, I remain
Most sincerely yours,
Prof. Steven Plaut
II Bibi Kissed the Ring, Erdoğan: Apology ‘Exactly the Way We Wanted’
Erdoğan pleased with Netanyahu’s apology, diplomatic relations have
returned to normal, also, Erdoğan will visit Gaza next month.
(And … re-enforce Israel’s mortal enemies with his own version of a great victory over Netanyahu and the Israelis)jsk
By Yori Yanover
The Jewish Press
March 23rd, 2013
On the way out, Obama ordered Netanyahu to call up Erdoğan and apologize.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday addressed the
agreement on the renewal of his country’s diplomatic relations with
Israel, complete with reinstating each country’s ambassadors. Erdogan
said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s apology was “the way we
wanted it.” The rapprochement between the two leaders had been organized
by visiting U.S. President Barack Obama, minutes before he departed to
meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah.
Obama insisted that Netanyahu end the feud with Erdoğan, particularly
in light of the deteriorating situation in Syria. Both countries stand
to benefit from cooperation in the political, military and intelligence
aspects of the Syrian civil war, a cooperation that had been severed
following the Gaza flotilla affair.
The wording of Netanyahu’s apology was a tad elusive, and different
from the original Turkish demand for an apology for the killing of its
citizens. Instead, the wording the two sides finally agreed to include
“an apology to the Turkish people for a mistake that could lead to loss
of human life.” The alteration was based on the Israeli investigation of
the incident, which indicated a number of operational errors during the
takeover of the Turkish boat Mavi Marmara.
During the conversation, Netanyahu clarified that the tragic
consequences of the flotilla were not intentional. He expressed regret
in the name of the State of Israel over the loss of human life. The two
leaders also agreed that Israel will transfer reparations to a
humanitarian fund established specifically for the families of the
victims, instead of paying reparations directly to the families, as the
Turks originally demanded.
Erdogan, who took back some of the things said against
Zionism, agreed to stop the existing legal proceedings against IDF
soldiers, including any proceedings which were to be opened in
the future. The Turkish prime minister rescinded his unequivocal demand
to remove Israel’s blockade on Gaza. At the same time, Netanyahu noted
during the conversation the easing of the closure which has already
taken place. The two leaders agreed to continue working together to
improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Former (and future) Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, who currently
heads the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, criticized the
apology, calling it “a serious error that affects the motivation of IDF
soldiers.” Except, that, considering the fact that IDF soldiers were
lowered from a chopper onto the Mavi Marmara’s deck to be beaten
mercilessly like Jewish pinatas, just knowing that stupid, callused
decisions like that won’t be made again could go a long way to improve
IDF morale.
Knowing that Ehud Barack, the architect of that victory, is no longer at the helm at the Defense Ministry, is also a big relief.
Indeed, the new Minister of Defense Moshe “Bogie” Yaalon was very much
in favor of restoring relations with the Turks, even at the cost of his
boss eating a few slices of humble pie.
III (Predictably, now more subsequent demands from Erdogan) Says Gaza Blockade Must Be Lifted Before Full Normalization With Israel
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Israel to
compensate flotilla victims and end its blockade of Gaza before full
normalization of relations can be restored.
On Friday, as U.S. President Barack Obama was about to depart Israel,
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Erdogan and apologized
for Israel’s actions during the May 2010 Gaza flotilla incident, during
which eight Turks and one Turkish-American were killed after they
attacked Israeli soldiers on board.
Erdogan had accepted Netanyahu’s apology and told the Israeli leader
that he would begin working towards full restoration of ties.
But in a public address following the apology, Erdogan called
on more concessions from Israel before full relations could be
restored. The Turkish leader said “there will be no normalization”
without financial compensation for the flotilla incident from Israel as
well as the lifting of the Gaza blockade, the Associated Press reported.
“Normalization will happen the moment there is an implementation. But if
there is no implementation, then I am sorry,” Erdogan said.
While Israel and Turkey enjoyed decades of close relations under
Turkey’s secular rulers, Erdogan and his conservative Islamic Justice
and Development Party (AKP) has increasingly been critical of Israel’s
policies towards the Palestinians since coming to power in 2003. This
has included closer relations with the Gaza-based terror group Hamas.
Erdogan also said that he plans on traveling to Gaza in April.
Netanyahu listed Syria, Iran and other critical Middle East
challenges as the reasons behind his apology. Israel has lifted many
restrictions on Gaza since the flotilla incident, and Netanyahu told
Erdogan on Friday that he would continue to lift more restrictions as
long as “calm prevailed” in Gaza.
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