- 16 nov 2010
Belgian citizens set to sue Israel
Four Belgian citizens who were on board the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza when it was attacked by Israeli forces on May 31, 2010 are planning to sue the Israeli government.
The four, Fatima el-Mourabiti, Inge Neefs, Kenza Isnasni and Griet Deknopper, were victims of, and witnesses to, the attack and have applied to the Belgian courts to hear their complaint.
They were kidnapped by Israeli forces in international waters and held for 28 hours on the boats and claim they were ill-treated before being imprisoned is Israel prior to deportation,
They told Belgian journalists that, "It is essential that all the persons responsible for the attack, in which nine people were killed and 50 others injured, are judged by the appropriate courts for justice to be done."
http://www.imemc.org/article/59913
21 nov 2010
Belgian ladies sue Israeli officials in Brussels
BRUSSELS, (PIC)-- The federal prosecutor's office in Brussels received on Friday a lawsuit filed by four Belgian young women against Israeli officials.
The four young women, Fatima Al-Marabti, Kanza Asnasne, Anga Nevis and Grate Dokenber, were participants in the Freedom Flotilla aid convoy and filed charges against Israeli war minister Ehud Barak, his chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi and commander of the deadly attack on the convoy Eliezer Marom.
Their lawyer Yucca Kallwart said the lawsuit is related to serious violations committed against the international humanitarian law, and the maltreatment and unlawful imprisonment of these four women in Israel.
The lawyer noted that one of the ladies was hit in the face with an Israeli stun grenade and did not get appropriate medical care, and all of them were detained for long hours on board one of the aid ships before they were forcibly deported to Turkey without taking their confiscated personal belongings.
In another context, senior official of the European campaign to end the siege Arafat Abu Madi stated that the Freedom Flotilla coalition decided unanimously to postpone the launch of the second aid convoy to next spring.
He explained that the member organizations of the coalition agreed they need more time to organize a bigger convoy composed of 15 or 20 aid ships instead of six or seven.
http://bit.ly/aFiGFS
23 nov 2010
Israel should compensate Gaza flotilla victims
Israel can take several steps to defuse tensions between itself and Turkey.
The waves caused by the raid on the Gaza-bound Turkish flotilla have somewhat subsided, but it's clear the change in Turkey's attitude toward Israel is part of broader foreign policy changes initiated by Ankara's foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu. Still, Israel would be wise to consider what it can do to lower the flame, even a bit.
Since its founding by Kemal Ataturk, the Republic of Turkey has conducted foreign policy as if it were under siege.
Turkey long saw itself as surrounded by enemies: Greece, Iran, the Arab world and Russia. That's why it maintained a strong army, which held Turkish society under an iron fist. That - and not love of democracy - is why the country joined NATO, and why it saw any chip at the mythos of the indivisibility of Turkish nationhood (the Kurds, for one ) as an existential threat.
Davutoglu has realized this is now an anachronistic worldview, and has replaced it with an ethos in which Turkey's role is to defuse regional conflicts. Given the complex composition of Turkish society, according to this thinking, external disputes are more than likely to turn into internal conflicts. With such a sharp diversion from the original philosophy of a single Turkish nation, Davutoglu and his supporters are essentially admitting that Turkey contains more Azeris than Azerbaijan, more Bosnians than Bosnia, more Albanians than Albania and more Kurds than Iraqi Kurdistan. That's why they view any quarrels in those countries as likely to spill over to Turkey itself.
This new creed has had tangible internal ramifications: The ruling, Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party has shown more flexibility toward the Kurdish minority. The restraints put on the military's power can also be traced to a feeling that the supposed siege on the country has been eased. Still, the most significant implications of this new policy have been in foreign relations: reconciliation attempts with Armenia; a thaw in relations with Greece; and more moderate positions on Cyprus, Bosnia and Kosovo.
Turkey has toned down its opposition to Kurdish autonomy in northern Iraq and trying to work toward an agreement on Iran's nuclear program. The offer to mediate talks between Israel and Syria is also linked to the government's "zero conflict" policy.
But any policy taken to the extreme is likely to lead, almost dialectically, to the opposite result. Pursuing compromise on the Iranian nuclear issue is one thing; forging a Turkish-Iranian-Brazilian alliance against the United States (for example, voting against Washington in the UN Security Council ) is quite another. Criticizing Israeli policy in the West Bank is one thing; the tongue-lashing the Turkish prime minister delivered Israel in Davos is quite another.
Several Turkish officials have wondered aloud whether such tactics are going too far. Israel has to encourage these people - one of the ways of doing so is changing its position on the flotilla raid. Most Turks believe Israel murdered nine Turkish citizens in international waters. Israel could announce that there is no place for a public apology, but that as a humanitarian gesture, it is willing to create a fund for compensating the families of those killed in the May operation.
A willingness to provide a one-time payment to each family (a sum of $200,000 has been mentioned ) could take some of the bite out of the current enmity between the two nations. It could also drive a wedge between the Turkish government and the families of the dead. Perhaps not all of them would be willing to accept payment, but offering it would be a humane, ethical gesture for all to see, one that may ultimately even bear diplomatic fruit.
http://bit.ly/fTpqgC 7 jul 2011, 01:18 , Respect -
Maria 5 dec 2010
Israeli, Turkish diplomats meet in Geneva in effort to repair relations
Israel sends diplomat to meet with Turkish officials after Netanyahu phoned Turkish PM to thank him for his help in battling Carmel fire.
Israeli and Turkish officials met in Geneva on Sunday in an attempt to draft an agreement aiming to mend the foundering ties between the countries due to the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla last May.
Joseph Ciechanover, a senior Israeli diplomat, was sent to Geneva to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telephoned Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to thank him for sending firefighting planes to help battle the fire in northern Israel that killed 41 people.
The Israeli and Turkish diplomats speculated that in an agreement, Israel would apologize to Turkey for the events of the Gaza flotilla and compensate it accordingly, and in exchange Turkey would return its ambassador to Tel-Aviv and agree to appoint a new Israeli envoy in Ankara.
A senior Turkish diplomat told Haaretz that the purpose of the meeting in Geneva was to discuss an agreement that would put an end to the crisis between the two countries.
Turkey demands that Israel apologize for killing nine Turkish citizens on the Mavi Marmara ship and compensate those hurt as a result of the Israel Defense Forces raid.
Earlier on Sunday, Erdogan underlined the Turkish position, saying Israel and Turkey would turn a new leaf in their relations, but first Israel would have to apologize and pay compensation. For its part, Israel is interested in normalization of relations with the Turks nearly six months after Turkey withdrew its ambassador to the country. Israel's crisis in relations with Turkey has also caused the Turks considerable diplomatic damage in Washington.
The Turks and Israelis involved in the current talks have said that the contacts were the initiative of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and follow the momentum created by the aid that Turkey provided to fight the fires in the Carmel region over the past week. The sources added, however, that talks are in their preliminary stage and will require additional meetings to come to an agreement that would gain the approval of Erdogan and Netanyahu.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has been briefed on the contacts, which have been handled primarily by national security adviser Uzi Arad. Lieberman's office declined to comment on the matter, but ministry sources have said they believe Lieberman has reservations over the effort as he has said Israel will not apologize or pay compensation to the Turks.
http://bit.ly/dTa9G7
Erdogan insists on Israeli apology before 'page is turned'
Turkish premier stresses again his country's aid to Israel as it battled Carmel blaze stemmed only from humanitarian motives, Islamic duty.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed Sunday that the aid sent from Turkey to Israel following the Carmel fire disaster does not signify an improvement in relations between the two countries.
However, in an unprecedented statement since May's flotilla raid the Turksih premier said that "one day we shall turn the page."
According to a report by Turkish news agency Anatolia Erdogan said that the relationship with Israel will not improve until the Jewish state "cleans" the blood of the victims. He repeated Ankara's list of demands to Israel before ties can be rebuilt: Compensation to the victims' families and an official apology.
"One day we shall turn the page but first Israel needs to apologize and provide compensation," Erdogan said.
He explained his country's willingness to send aid to Israel at its time of need. "If a hand is reached out we do not ignore it but we must ensure the hand is being reached in earnest."
He added: "No one can expect us to sit silent and abandon law and reason while the blood being spilled in the Middle East remains unwashed." Ergodan stressed that the aid provided to Israel by Turkey was sent out of humanitarian reasons and Islamic duty.
Hours after the Carmel blaze broke out last Thursday Turkey sent Israel two helicopters to help it fight the flames. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Erdogan for Turkey's assistance as they spoke on the phone and expressed hope that the step will help the nations rebuild their relationship.
However, the Turkish premier was quick to clarify over the weekend that the aid was sent for humanitarian motives only and that it has nothing to do with the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3994790,00.html
Netanyahu tries to rebuild Turkey ties in wake of aid to Carmel fire
PM sends Israeli representative to Geneva to meet with Turkish foreign ministry official and try to draw a draft agreement that would end Israel-Turkey diplomatic crisis.
As Turkey helps Israel put out the Carmel fire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched an effort to end the diplomatic crisis with Ankara.
Netanyahu sent the Israeli representative on the United Nations committee investigating the Gaza flotilla incident, Yosef Ciechanover, to Geneva to meet with Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu, an undersecretary at the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
A senior Israeli source said the two would try to draw up a draft agreement that would put and end to the crisis.
The Turks are demanding that Israel apologize for the killing of Turkish civilians and compensate the families of the victims in the attack on the flotilla earlier this year.
Sources at the Prime Minister's Bureau acknowledged that contacts were being made with Turkey on the issue but declined to offer further details.
For his part, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that despite the fire aid and his conversation with Netanyahu, Turkey continues to expect an apology from Israel on the flotilla incident and compensation for the victims. "We do not confuse this issue with other issues," he said.
As foreign help arrives, IAF plans fire squadron
The Israel Air Force has begun unofficial staff work to create a firefighting squadron ahead of a likely government decision on the matter in the coming days. The IAF has gotten to work as aircraft continue to arrive from foreign countries, playing a key role in battling the fire on the Carmel.
Over the weekend, foreign firefighting aircraft were in operation including seaplanes from Greece and Turkey that landed in Haifa Bay, loaded their tanks and dumped the water on the Carmel. Large Russian planes and a French aircraft also took part.
More planes are due to arrive from France, Russia and the United States, including two Air National Guard planes equipped with special foam tanks. The largest firefighting aircraft in the world, a reconfigured 747 belonging to the private firm Evergreen, will also arrive. The aircraft is capable of carrying more than 90,000 liters of water.
Firefighting sources said the foreign aircraft have played a major role in efforts to put out the blaze.
The foreign aircraft have been joined by 12 from the company Chim-Nir; their operations have been coordinated by the air force, which established a special control center near the University of Haifa.
The aircraft operate out of air force bases at Ramat David and Tel Nof, as well as Haifa Airport. An overall picture of the situation on the ground is being provided by air force drones.
The air force once provided a firefighting capability using its heavy-lift helicopters, but they are old and less effective than the small planes in the Chim-Nir fleet.
The air force expects the government to fund a firefighting squadron. Air force officers are examining the equipment coming in from other countries with an eye to the future.
http://bit.ly/gfcvor
Turkish PM says Israel must 'clear blood' to mend ties
ANKARA (AFP) - Turkey's prime minister insisted Sunday on an Israeli apology and compensation over a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship in May as the only way to mend bilateral ties, Anatolia news agency reported.
His remarks followed media speculation that the crisis between the one-time allies might thaw in the wake of Turkey's dispatch of two helicopters to help fight a devastating forest fire in northern Israel, which claimed 41 lives.
"Some say we should turn a new page... An apology must be offered first, compensation must be paid first," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech in Sivas, central Turkey, according to Anatolia.
"If a hand is extended, we will not leave it in the air... but we want to see that this hand is extended with sincerity.
"No one should expect us to keep silent and forfeit law and justice as long as the blood spilled in the Mediterranean is not cleared," he said.
Erdogan, who heads a conservative government hailing from a banned Islamist movement, described Ankara's assistance for the fire-fighting effort in Israel as "our humanitarian and Islamic duty."
Bilateral ties plunged into a deep crisis on May 31 when Israeli forces killed nine Turks as they raided an activist ship carrying aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip in an international campaign led by a Turkish Islamist charity.
Relations had been already strained over Israel's devastating war on Gaza last year, amid Erdogan's frequent outbursts against the Jewish state and his defense of radical Palestinian group Hamas.
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Turkey for its help in the fire disaster and telephoned Erdogan to convey his gratitude.
"We very much appreciate this mobilisation and I am certain that it will be an opening toward improving relations between our two countries, Turkey and Israel," he said in a statement.
The lingering chill was highlighted only a day before when Turkey's interior minister said Israel seemed to be "benefiting" from the impact of US cables disclosed by the Internet whistle-blower WikiLeaks as he questioned whose interests the leaks served.
The cables revealed US and Israeli unease over Turkey's close contacts with Iran and Erdogan's criticism of Israel.
Erdogan "hates Israel" on religious grounds, a cable by the US embassy in Ankara said, including also the Israeli ambassador's description of Erdogan as "a fundamentalist."
Turkey and Israel had enjoyed a decade of close ties since 1996 when they signed a military cooperation agreement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=339240 7 jul 2011, 01:19 , Respect -
Maria 6 dec 2010
Erdogan pledges support for '67 state
ANKARA, Turkey (Ma'an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas visited Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan in his Ankara home on Sunday, to discuss developments in the peace negotiations between Palestinian and Israeli negotiators.
Following the meeting, Ambassador of Palestine to Turkey Nabil Ma`roof told the official PA news agency WAFA that Erdogan pledged to support a bid for the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders. The official said he would speak with the leaders of all those nations with which Turkey had diplomatic relations.
Erdogan then stressed to the president that he believed a final reconciliation agreement had to be reached between rival factions Fatah and Hamas, saying "You must unite to be strong."
The Turkish leader also said he would continue to support economic development plans created as part of the Ramallah government's "two-years to statehood" initiative, by contributing $10 million to the construction of an industrial zone in the northern West Bank district of Jenin.
The leaders also agreed on a program to foster trade between the nations, which would include a preferential visa program for businessmen from Palestine.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=339326
7 dec 2010
Lieberman: Apology Would be Surrender to Terror
Sources close to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that the prospective arrangement between Israel and Turkey to repair relations between the two countries, in which Israel would express regret for the deaths of Turkish citizens in the flotilla incident, was a surrender to terror.
If anything, we should demand that Turkey apologize to Israel, and pay reparations for the help it gave the terrorist IHH group that sponsored the May Gaza flotilla, which many European countries, like Germany, have labeled as a terror group, Lieberman said.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/199500
Israel to Turkey: Admit IDF raid on Gaza flotilla had no malicious intent
Request is part of the latest Israeli-Turkish discussions aimed at ending their diplomatic crisis, which focus on an Israeli apology in exchange for return of Turkish envoy to Tel Aviv.
Israel has demanded that Turkey admit that the Israel Defense Forces raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla had no malicious intent, a condition which is part of the recent endeavor between Israel and Turkey to reach an agreement to put an end to the crisis in their relations.
The discussions between Israeli and Turkish officials in Geneva are continuing, and a senior Israeli official has said that the focus of the deliberations is the particular wording of the Israeli apology for the IDF raid on the Gaza-bound ship the Mavi Marmara, which killed nine Turkish citizens.
"We are looking for wording that would clarify that during the overtaking of the Gaza flotilla, Israel did not act out of malice," said the Israeli official.
Israel's representative on the UN panel investigating the Gaza-bound flotilla incident, Yosef Ciechanover, met for the second time on Monday with senior Turkish diplomat Feridun Sinirlioglu.
The discussions centered around a formula that would have Israel apologize for the incident and arrange for compensation for the dead and injured Turkish citizens, and in exchange Turkey would return its ambassador to Tel Aviv and announce the "normalization" of ties between Israel and Turkey.
An Israeli source close to the talks said that the discussions are at a particularly sensitive place at the moment, wherein the two sides need to present their ideas to prime ministers Benjamin Netanyahu and Recep Tayyip Erdogan to receive further instructions.
Israeli officials fear that Netanyahu will find it hard to pass such an agreement before his cabinet, in light of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's reservations regarding an Israeli apology for the Gaza flotilla raid.
Moreover, it is also still unclear whether Erdogan will agree to the draft of understandings. As part of the agreement, Israel wants Turkey to stop carrying out anti-Israeli activities in various international forums regarding the Gaza flotilla. It is uncertain whether Erdogan will agree to this request.
If the two sides do reach an agreement, it would most probably turn the United Nations committee investigating the events of the Gaza flotilla to superfluous.
The senior Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue, stated that the fact that the government of Turkey sent firefighting aircraft to the Carmel fire was what encouraged Prime Minister Netanyahu to initiate discussions over ending the diplomatic rift between the two countries.
"An opportunity presented itself to improve the relations," the senior official stated. "Prime Minister Netanyahu sees the improvement of relations with Turkey as having great importance, but he is determined to ensure that Israeli soldiers and officers will not be exposed to lawsuits and indictments around the world."
http://bit.ly/fP7wDs
Turkish official: Fire diplomacy boosts Israel ties
Israeli, Turkish reps meet for second time in Geneva in bid to mend relations following Turkish assistance during Carmel blaze. Officials in Ankara say Lieberman trying to block reconciliation process.
Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu and Yosef Ciechanover, the Israeli representative to the UN committee probing Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla met on Monday for the second time in two days in a bid to revive bilateral ties, the Turkish daily Hurriyet reported.
A Turkish diplomatic source told the newspaper, "If someone extends us a friendly hand for a solution to problems, we do not leave that hand in the air."
Referring to the assistance Turkey provided Israel during the huge inferno in the Carmel region, another Turkish diplomat told Hurriyet, It is certain that the fire diplomacy has encouraged the diplomatic contact. These kinds of situations sometimes help break the ice.
Turkey has demanded that Israel apologize for the death of nine Turkish citizens during the May 31 raid and compensate the families of those who were killed.
Last week Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan for sending two firefighting planes to help douse the fire in north Israel and expressed his hope that the gesture would help mend the ties between the countries.
Erdogan, for his part, called the assistance a humanitarian gesture and said Turkey's desire to help Israel in a moment of crisis should not be confused with its continued anger over the flotilla incident.
Hurriyet quoted diplomatic sources as saying that the climate during Monday's talks was better than it was during the first attempt at rapprochement following the flotilla incident - the secret talks in June between Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Israeli Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer.
"The time is different now, a diplomatic source told the Turkish daily, adding that the fact that Netanyahu launched a personal initiative to promote diplomatic ties with Turkey is a reason to be optimistic.
Other officials, the newspaper said, claim that the leaking of the secret Geneva talks to the press is an attempt by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to block the reconciliation process.
Following Sunday's meeting Ciechanover Sinirlioglu, the Haaretz daily reported that Israeli and Turkish diplomats had drafted an agreement according to which Israel would apologize to Turkey for the events of the Gaza flotilla and compensate it accordingly, and in exchange Turkey would return its ambassador to Tel-Aviv and agree to appoint a new Israeli envoy in Ankara.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3995475,00.html
9 dec 2010
Olmert, Ayalon: Israel doesn't need to apologize to Turkey
Official say Israel proposed paying $100,000 each to families of Turks killed during raid on Gaza-bound ship and asked Ankara 'to do what needs to be done to address our legal concerns.' Turkish FM: Our demand for apology has not changed.
Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said Israel does not need to apologize to Turkey over of the death of nine of its citizens during the May 31 raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla.
Speaking at a conference at the Foreign Ministry on EU members' funding of NGOs which support terror on Thursday, Ayalon said, "Negotiations and contacts between Israel's representative and his Turkish counterpart have not yet been discontinued, so further reference to this issue will not help."
Israel has proposed paying compensation to relatives of the Turks who were killed during the raid, in exchange for Ankara's help in indemnifying the Israeli navy against lawsuits, officials said on Thursday.
The offer, broached by envoys in Geneva over the weekend, included measures for patching up ties but appeared to have fallen short of Turkey's demand that Israel formally apologize for the deaths of the nine pro-Palestinian activists in May.
Ehud Olmert criticized Israel's willingness to compensate the Turks. Speaking at a Calcalist conference Thursday, the former prime minister said,
"Six months ago everyone said, justifiably, that no one would break the blockade on Gaza. We were very confident in our position, and now we are thinking of how to compensate and apologize.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose delegate to a UN probe of the bloodshed attended the rapprochement talks, also faces opposition to such a deal from his hawkish foreign minister and government coalition partner, Avigdor Lieberman.
"We made a compensation offer, and asked the Turks to do what needs to be done to address our legal concerns. We also want to see them return their ambassador and allow us to appoint a new ambassador in Ankara," an Israeli official said.
"For now, however, there are still big obstacles."
The draft offers Turkey some $100,000 each to families of the men shot dead by Israeli marines during brawls aboard the converted cruise ship Mavi Marmara, and an Israeli expression of "regret" over the incident, Israeli diplomatic sources said.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu described the reports of an Israeli offer as "speculative" and said on Thursday his government's demands had not changed.
"We don't think it is right to cite figures, or discussions of apology or regret," Davutoglu said during a joint news conference with the visiting Syrian foreign minister.
"The citing of figures or the matter of regret did not come onto the agenda."
'They must accept their guilt'
On Wednesday, Netanyahu adviser Ron Dermer said Israel and Turkey were discussing "the phrasing of a compromise that both sides can live with ... (and) that will get our relations with Turkey back on track and remove the whole affair from the international agenda".
"We must remember that there are those at the United Nations, there are forces which would like to see our personnel arrested," Dermer told Israel Radio.
"What is important to the prime minister is to protect the marines and commanders. We have said at every discussion, at every meeting, that the troops acted in self-defense -- there's no question about it -- and not out of malice."
Rattled over private war-crimes suits filed abroad against its military brass and politicians by pro-Palestinian groups, Israel has tried to stave off any similar Turkish actions in global forums by quickly setting up two internal investigations whose findings will become its submission to the UN inquest.
Turkey has dismissed the Israeli probes as insufficient.
The rapprochement talks followed Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's dispatch of planes to help Israel battle a forest fire that raged out of control last week. Netanyahu had pledged to "find ways to express our appreciation" to the Turks.
But Erdogan, leader of the Islamist-rooted AK Party and a frequent scolder of Israel's Palestinian policies, on Tuesday signaled no flexibility in Turkey's terms. He even added an older demand that Hamas-ruled Gaza's borders be opened.
"If there are those who want to start a new period, I repeat: They must accept their guilt, apologize and pay compensation. I say too that the embargoes, which have been eased but not enough, should be lifted," he told AK lawmakers.
The Mavi Marmara led an aid-ferrying flotilla that tried to breach Israel's Gaza blockade, imposed with the declared aim of keeping arms from Islamist Hamas cadres. A world outcry at the high seas seizure prompted Israel to allow more goods to reach Gaza's 1.5 million Palestinians by land, but not by sea.
Among the most vocal champions of the blockade is Lieberman, who leads the far-right Yisrael Beiteinu party in alliance with Netanyahu's rightist Likud. Political sources say Lieberman is often excluded from Israel's more sensitive diplomatic contacts.
Noting that several marines were injured in the Mavi Marmara raid, a Lieberman confidant told Reuters: "It's the Turks who should be paying us compensation, and not the other way around."
That foreshadowed a possible showdown in Netanyahu's cabinet should the proposed rapprochement deal be brought for approval.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3996960,00.html
Manipulated radio communications Flotilla/Israely Navy
(7:54) Manipulated radio communications Flotilla/Israely Navy
Israel proposes Turkey compensation only to escape lawsuits
Israel has proposed paying compensation to relatives of Turkish activists it killed in exchange for Ankara to give up lawsuits against the Israeli navy.
Israel has proposed paying compensation to relatives of Turkish activists it killed during a raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship, in exchange for Ankara to give up lawsuits against the Israeli navy, officials said on Thursday.
"We made a compensation offer, and asked the Turks to do what needs to be done to address our legal concerns. We also want to see them return their ambassador and allow us to appoint a new ambassador in Ankara," an Israeli official told Reuters news agency.
"For now, however, there are still big obstacles."
Turkey and Israel is reportedly near agreement on wording of memo aimed at ending crisis; Erdogan demands Israel say it 'apologizes,' while Israel prefers to use the word 'regrets'.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed with senior advisers on Wednesday the content of a memo aimed at ending the crisis with Israel.
Most of the remaining points of contention concern the exact phrasing of Israel's apologies related to its raid on the flotilla. Erdogan demands that Israel say it "apologizes," while Israel prefers to use the word "regrets."
On Wednesday, Netanyahu adviser Ron Dermer said Israel and Turkey were discussing "the phrasing of a compromise that both sides can live with ... (and) that will get our relations with Turkey back on track and remove the whole affair from the international agenda".
During the consultations held in Erdogan's office, the permanent undersecretary of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Feridun Sinirlioglu, updated the prime minister on the talks he'd held with Israeli UN envoy Yosef Ciechanover in Geneva earlier this week.
"Denial of legal responsibility"
Israel is refusing to use the word "apology." Israel has, however, agreed to express sorrow and regret over the killing of the Turkish activists on board.
According to Turkish and Israeli media, Israel wants the expression of sorrow and regret to be "humanitarian" and addressed toward the victims, rather than an official apology to the Turkish government to avoid legal cases. Erdogan, for his part, is demanding that Israel apologize "to the Turkish republic."
Israel also sees the compensation a "humanitarian" gesture, rather than an Israeli admission of legal responsibility for the killings.
The draft offers Turkey some $100,000 each to families of the activists shot dead by Israeli marines during the raid.
The rapprochement talks followed Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's dispatch of planes to help Israel battle a forest fire that raged out of control last week.
Erdogan on Tuesday renewed Turkey's terms. He repeated his demand that Israel-besieged Gaza's borders be opened.
"If there are those who want to start a new period, I repeat: They must accept their guilt, apologise and pay compensation. I say too that the embargoes, which have been eased but not enough, should be lifted," he told AK lawmakers.
Families of Turkish humanitarian aid workers dismissed any Israeli apology as formality and demanded the soldiers be tried for the killings on the Gaza aid ship.
http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=67187
Official: Dictionary can resolve Israel-Turkey row
Hurriyet quotes sources as saying further talks possible in bid to resolve crisis over Gaza flotilla raid; Israeli source says reconciliation possible if different word for 'apology' can be found.
This week's reconciliation talks between Israel and Turkey, which were held in Geneva, concluded without an agreement, but diplomatic circles are not ruling out further talks to resolve the differences, Hurriyet reported Wednesday.
The Turkish daily quoted sources as saying that the door for reconciliation remains open if the right formula can be found for an Israeli apology over the May 31 commando raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, which left nine Turkish citizens dead.
An Israeli apology is a key Turkish condition for reconciliation.
If Turkey and Israel want to reach an agreement, they only need to open the Webster's Dictionary to find a different word for apology, a senior Israeli official was quoted by Hurriyet as saying.
According to the report, Israel is known to prefer to use the words regret or sorry instead of apology because "both its government and its people consider the dispatching of ships by the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation, or IHH, to break Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip to be a provocative act."
The Yedioth Ahronoth daily said Israel has agreed to pay the families of those killed during the raid $100,000 each.
On Tuesday Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "There is no such distinction as the people or the state. They (Israelis) must apologize to the Republic of Turkey."
Hurriyet further reported that Israeli Ambassador to Turley Gabby Levy has asked that his term not be extended, in part due to the publication of American cables by WikiLeaks. In a cable sent last year by then-US envoy to Ankara James Jeffrey, Levy is quoted as saying about Erdogan: He's a fundamentalist. He hates us religiously.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3996580,00.html
J'lem, Turkey may find resolution to flotilla legal issues
Turkish media says Israeli proposal to be presented to Erdogan which will prevent prosecution of involved IDF soldiers abroad.
A statement agreed upon between Israel and Turkey regarding the Mavi Marmara incident would likely remove the issue from the international legal agenda and prevent prosecution abroad of IDF soldiers involved in the action, according to assessments in Jerusalem.
These assessments were made Wednesday as an Israeli proposal was, according to Turkish media reports, expected to be brought to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The website of the Hurriyet daily reported that Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirliogglu, who at the beginning of the week held talks on the matter in Geneva with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's envoy Yosef Ciechanover, was expected to bring a proposal drawn up in those talks to the Turkish prime minister.
According to Hurriyet, there has been a debate about whether Israel would issue a state apology or a humanitarian one for the May 31 raid on the ship trying to break the Gaza blockade. Nine people were killed after IDF commandos who boarded the ship came under attack.
The ship was organized by the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation IHH, an organization listed by a number of countries as a terrorist group, Hurriyet, which said Israel wanted to use words such as regret or sorry in a statement, rather than apology, quoted Erdogan as saying late Tuesday that there is no such distinction as the people or the state. They [the Israelis] must apologize to the Republic of Turkey.
In Jerusalem, meanwhile, it is widely assumed that Israel would only agree to a formula in which it was clear that Israel acted in self-defense, that it retains its right to act in self-defense in the future, and that it had no intention of harming the passengers of the ship.
Netanyahu is sure to meet resistance from some in his own cabinet, including Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and also from the families of naval commandos involved and wounded in the incident, if he agrees to anything resembling an apology.
Nahman Cohen, the father of the commando seriously wounded when he was thrown from the upper to the lower deck of the ship, said the idea that the country would apologize or pay compensation was inconceivable and that he would fight any agreement.
Sources close to Lieberman, meanwhile, said Tuesday that an apology to Turkey would be tantamount to surrender to terrorism.
Israel needs to ask for a Turkish apology, and for it to pay compensation for the aid it gave those supporting terrorists and the IHH, the sources said.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=198651
11 dec 2010
Israel's serious concerns about legal action due to flotilla massacre
Israel has tried hard to justify its violent overtaking of the humanitarian aid convoy to Gaza last spring. http://bit.ly/gEW9IU In particular, it has turned to convoluted, somewhat tortured interpretations of international law, which it claims provides legal cover for the brutal mission. Israel was just enforcing a blockade according to maritime law, or so the argument goes, when its Gandhi-like commandos were mercilessly attacked by Muslim extremists. This mantra has been accepted uncritically by the Israeli public.
But recent news belies the Israeli facade of legality. According to new reports, http://bit.ly/fDlSGR Israel is currently in discussions with Turkey to bribe them into legal protection. The Israelis have proposed financial compensation of $100,000 to each family of a murdered flotilla member. In return, the Israelis are demanding Turkey's assistance in indemnifying the Israeli Navy against lawsuits. This is not the behavior of a party convinced of its legal position. Rather, it is the behavior of a party that knows clearly that the Turks are able to raise this matter in international courts and is worried because of it.
Official Israeli comments on this proposed deal are quite revealing:
We made a compensation offer, and asked the Turks to do what needs to be done to address our legal concerns, said an Israeli official involved in the negotiations.
Netanyahu's adviser added that the two countries were discussing the phrasing of a compromise that both sides can live with [and] that will get our relations with Turkey back on track and remove the whole affair from the international agenda [emphasis added]. What is important to the Prime Minister, he added, is to protect the marines and commanders.
If this is not an example of outright bribery intended to avoid compliance with international law, then I don't know what is.
(9 dec 2010)
Israel offers compensation for Gaza flotilla deaths
Israel offers £63,000 each to families of men killed on Mavi Marmara in exchange for Turkey's help in indemnifying navy against lawsuits.
Israel has proposed paying compensation to relatives of Turks it killed during a raid on a Gaza-bound ship, in exchange for Ankara's help in indemnifying the Israeli navy against lawsuits, officials said today.
The offer, broached by envoys in Geneva over the weekend, included measures to improve relations between the countries, but appeared to have fallen short of Turkey's demand that Israel formally apologise for the deaths of the nine pro-Palestinian activists in May.
The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, whose delegate to a UN investigation into the bloodshed attended the rapprochement talks, also faces opposition to such a deal from his hawkish foreign minister and government coalition partner, Avigdor Lieberman.
"We made a compensation offer, and asked the Turks to do what needs to be done to address our legal concerns. We also want to see them return their ambassador and allow us to appoint a new ambassador in Ankara," an Israeli official said. "For now, however, there are still big obstacles."
The draft offers Turkey $100,000 (£63,000) each to families of the men shot dead by Israeli marines during altercations aboard the converted cruise ship Mavi Marmara, and an Israeli expression of "regret" over the incident, Israeli diplomatic sources said.
Netanyahu's adviser Ron Dermer said today Israel and Turkey were discussing "the phrasing of a compromise that both sides can live with %u2026 [and] that will get our relations with Turkey back on track and remove the whole affair from the international agenda".
He told Israel Radio: "We must remember that there are those at the United Nations, there are forces which would like to see our personnel arrested. What is important to the prime minister is to protect the marines and commanders. We have said at every discussion, at every meeting, that the troops acted in self-defence there's no question about it and not out of malice."
Rattled over private war-crimes suits filed abroad against its military brass and politicians by pro-Palestinian groups, Israel has tried to stave off any similar Turkish actions in global forums by quickly setting up two internal investigations, the findings of which will become its submission to the UN inquest.
Turkey has dismissed the Israeli inquiries as insufficient.
The rapprochement talks followed the dispatch by the Turkish prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan, of planes to help Israel extinguish a forest fire last week. Netanyahu had pledged to "find ways to express our appreciation" to the Turks.
Erdogan, leader of the Islamist-rooted AK party who is a frequent critic of Israel's Palestinian policies signalled yesterday no flexibility in Turkey's terms. He even added an older demand that Gaza's Hamas-ruled borders be opened.
"If there are those who want to start a new period, I repeat: They must accept their guilt, apologise and pay compensation. I say too that the embargoes, which have been eased but not enough, should be lifted," he told AK legislators.
The Mavi Marmara led an aid-ferrying flotilla that tried to breach Israel's Gaza blockade, imposed with the declared aim of keeping arms from Islamist organisation Hamas. A worldwide outcry at the vessel's seizure prompted Israel to allow more goods to reach Gaza's 1.5 million Palestinians by land, but not by sea.
Among the most vocal champions of the blockade is Lieberman, who leads the far-right Yisrael Beiteinu party in alliance with Netanyahu's rightist Likud.
Political sources say Lieberman is often excluded from Israel's more sensitive diplomatic contacts.
Noting that several marines were injured in the Mavi Marmara raid, a Lieberman confidant said: "It's the Turks who should be paying us compensation, and not the other way around."
That foreshadowed a possible showdown in Netanyahu's cabinet should the proposed rapprochement deal be brought to it for approval.
http://bit.ly/fDlSGR
http://bit.ly/gD6vzx
Israel: Apologizing over flotilla attack could lead to worldwide lawsuits
NAZARETH, (PIC)-- Israel's deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon is advising his government not to apologize to Turkey over the May 31 attack on the Freedom Flotilla that left nine Turkish passengers dead and many others injured, saying the move would result in international lawsuits.
We must not apologize to Ankara, because there are ethical, diplomatic and legal implications that could be presented against our soldiers for lawsuits and compensation, Ayalon told Israeli Radio.
The Turkish government is demanding that Israel apologize and pay monetary compensation to the families of the victims of the lethal attack before restoring the once sturdy diplomatic relations between the two regional powers.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu recently stated that the state's position has never changed.
http://bit.ly/gvvd7d
'Israel to compensate flotilla victims'
Israel is reportedly seeking to reach a deal with Turkey to compensate the relatives of those Turkish activists killed in the May raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla.
In exchange, Tel Aviv wants a "full shield" to protect its troops from possible legal action.
Nine Turks died and around 50 other people were injured on May 31, when the Israeli military assaulted the Gaza Freedom flotilla.
"We made a compensation offer, and asked the Turks to do what needs to be done to address our legal concerns. We also want to see them return their ambassador and allow us to appoint a new ambassador in Ankara," an Israeli official told The Telegraph.
"For now, however, there are still big obstacles," the official went on to say.
Israel has offered to pay $100,000 dollars to each family of the nine slain activists.
Tel Aviv also wants to express "regret" over the bloodshed rather than "apologize" -- which has been one of Ankara's main demands.
Turkey, however, says its demands have not changed.
"Israel has behaved unjustly towards Turkey regarding the aid ship Mavi Marmara and we are still expecting compensation and an apology," Turkey's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Selcuk Unal said on Friday.
Last Sunday, Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his position that Israel must apologize and pay compensations over the killing of nine Turkish activists.
"No one should expect us to keep silent and forfeit law and justice as long as the blood spilled in the Mediterranean is not cleared," he said.
The bilateral relations between Turkey and Israel reached their lowest ebb ever following the incident.
"Some say we should turn a new page... An apology must be offered first, compensation must be paid first," Erdogan noted.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/154932.html
13 dec 2010
Israeli lobby presses media to call off Freedom Flotilla press conference
ROME, (PIC)-- Chief Italian journalist Enzo Iacopino has fallen victim this month to pressure from the Israeli lobby in his home country over plans to host a press conference Monday for the Freedom Flotilla 2 coalition, which is set to head out to the besieged Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian aid next year.
Iacopino received dozens of letters from the Israeli lobby accusing him of hostility towards Israel and filled with statements of disapproval of his position and accusations of turning Italy's news syndicate into an un-neutral body, Quds Press quoted sources as saying.
The Freedom Flotilla coalition condemned the lobby's attacks against Iacopino, who heads 150 members of the Italian national council of journalists, calling the step an attempt to silence activists who sympathize with the Palestinians, especially those under siege in Gaza.
The coalition concluded Sunday a conference to discuss the latest preparations in the flotilla's launch. Iacopino is scheduled to throw a press conference Monday to announce those developments.
http://bit.ly/huJ9VZ
15 dec 2010
Deputy FM: Israel won't apologize for Gaza flotilla raid
Danny Ayalon's statement comes in the wake of recent reports of Israel-Turkey talks aimed at ending the diplomatic crisis between the two nations.
Israel has no intention of apologizing to the Turkish government for the Israel Defense Forces raid on Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May that left nine Turkish citizens dead, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon told the Knesset on Wednesday.
Ayalon, a member of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party, spoke to the Knesset in the wake of recent reports that Israel and Turkey have been in negotiations to end the diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
Earlier this week, it was reported that the negotiations have become deadlocked because of Israel's refusal to apologize for the killings of Turkish activists aboard the Mavi Marmara and Turkey's refusal to promise to abstain from legal action against Israeli soldiers and declare that the soldiers acted in self-defense.
An Israeli official told Haaretz that the talks are "stuck" and that "differences are still great." Nonetheless, he said it is still early to declare the talks dead and expects further discussions very soon. A Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman also stated last Friday that the talks will resume soon.
According to previously published reports, Israel has offered $100,000 to each Turkish family that lost a family member during the takeover of the Mavi Marmara. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, however, called these figures "pure speculation."
A senior Turkish source told Haaretz that the disagreement now revolves over the wording of the Israeli apology and not the issue of compensation.
Zaman, a Turkish daily which supports Turkish Prime Minsiter Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party, on Saturday quoted official sources saying that the talks in Geneva were disrupted "because of the stance of the Israeli army which is similar to that of [Avigdor] Lieberman." These sources also said that Defense Minister Ehud Barak is opposed to an Israeli apology, even though he attaches great strategic importance to relations between Israel and Turkey.
The reports of a possible Israeli apology for the raid, as well as compensation for the families of the dead Turks, aroused sharp criticism from Lieberman and others within Yisrael Beiteinu.
"An apology to Turkey is giving into terrorism," said associates of Lieberman.
Lieberman associates argued that it is Turkey who should apologize to Israel for the Gaza flotilla incident.
The recent spurt of diplomatic activity between Israel and Turkey started when Erdogan decided to send aid to help Israel extinguish the Carmel forest fire earlier this month.
Last week, Davutoglu said a "new era" of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Israel had begun following the fire
http://bit.ly/eqKohy...Read more 7 jul 2011, 01:22 , Respect
Maria 16 dec 2010
Israel will not offer apology to Turkey over May 31 flotilla attack
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli foreign ministry has refused to offer an apology to Turkey for the country's May 31 naval attack on the Freedom Flotilla, which was on its way to the besieged Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian aid.
Israel does not intend to make an apology to Turkey concerning the fleet of ships, Deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon told the media Thursday. Turkey has insisted on demanding an apology and compensation to the victims' families from Israel as a basic condition before announcing the agreement to end the diplomatic relations crisis between the states.
On a similar note, Israeli lawmaker Danny Danon from the ruling Likud party wrote to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sarcastically apologizing for Israeli soldiers using extreme restraint while seizing the ship and killing six "terrorists" only.
If Israel had prior knowledge of the presence of terrorists on board the ship, orders would have been issued that soldiers kill anyone who puts their safety at risk, Danon said.
Tel Aviv should have inspected the ships before they set sail from Turkish shores, on the grounds that its passengers carried firearms, Danon alleged.
http://bit.ly/gtfiqB
9 jan 2011
Deadline for UN probe into deadly flotilla raid postponed yet again
A U.N. inquiry into the Mavi Marmara tragedy has again postponed the release of its report. The report will be released in April. Nine Turkish activists were killed in a raid by Israeli soldiers last May as the Mavi Marmara sailed toward Gaza as part of an international aid flotilla, largely freezing relations between the once-friendly states. Reconciliation efforts between Turkey and Israel received a jump-start with meetings between high-level officials in Geneva last month but ultimately failed to produce results.
As the possibility of reconciliation at a bilateral level between Turkey and Israel has dimmed, the focus has turned one more time to the U.N. inquiry into Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla that left nine Turks dead.
The deadline for the U.N. probe, announced last August, has been postponed once more to April. The Turkish side remains anxious to finish the inquiry before May 31, the anniversary of the deadly incident. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had set mid-September last year for the panel to submit a first progress report. Chaired by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer, the panel included an Israeli and a Turk among its four members. Turkey handed its own report into the incidents on Sept. 1, as both countries were asked to present their national inquiries to the panel by that date.
Israel's acquiescence to cooperating with the U.N. probe was unprecedented, and came as a result of months-long negotiations on the panel's mandate. Yet as Israel has not presented the panel its own investigation report, the deadline for the work of the panel had been first postponed to the end of February.
As Israel continued to delay handing in its report, a move that is expected to finally be done in the second half of this month, the deadline of the panel's work has one more time been postponed to late March-early April, the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review has learned. The panel plans to start work in the second week of February. We don't want any further postponement. The panel's work should finish before May 31, said a Turkish official familiar with the process.
Israel concerned by prosecution of its citizens
The May 31 incident further deteriorated the already strained relations between the two countries.
A meeting in Geneva last month of senior officials from Turkey and Israel to mend fences failed to produce results. Turkey asks for a formal apology as well as compensation for the victims families.
The Geneva talks followed Turkey's decision a week prior to send two aircraft to help fight a forest fire in Israel.
Despite statements to the contrary, diplomatic sources say a formula can be accepted by both sides including a formal apology, yet Israel's concern of a possible prosecution of its citizens remains the main stumbling block to an agreement. Turkey is not in the position of providing the guarantee sought by Israel, as it cannot exert pressure on its own citizens to not seek justice through international channels. Furthermore, citizens from other countries were also on the ship attacked by Israel.
The Israeli state is concerned that by agreeing to apologize it would open the way to judicial cases being opened against its citizens. Turkish sources say there are also ways to overcome that problem, one of which includes an exchange of letters between the two countries, whereas Israel says it considers the case closed and won't accept any further inquiry.
The International Criminal Court was asked by lawyers acting on behalf of Turkish citizens injured or killed during the May incident to prosecute members of the Israeli armed forces last October. The court has not yet announced how it will proceed with the request. Experts say it might take years for the court to come up with a decision.
The likelihood of Israel being prosecuted for its actions in Gaza has long attracted controversy. Neither Turkey nor Israel is party to the treaty that established the international court. Turkish lawyers claim there is an overwhelming case for prosecution by the court, which some experts say has jurisdiction to prosecute those involved in the raid despite Israel not recognizing its jurisdiction.
The flotilla was made up of six ships and crewed by activists from a coalition of pro-Palestinian groups trying to break an embargo on ships entering Gaza.
Hundreds of Turkish activists were on board one of the vessels, the Mavi Marmara, when it was raided by Israeli commandos in international waters.
The activists said the commandos opened fire when they boarded the ship, but the Israelis say their troops were attacked by the activists.
The U.N. Human Rights Council's international, independent fact-finding mission concluded in September that Israeli forces violated human rights and international humanitarian law during the incident.
In a 56-page report, the fact-finding mission found that the actions of the Israeli forces in intercepting the Mavi Marmara on the high sea was clearly unlawful.
http://bit.ly/hABC34
10 jan 2011
Turkel committee interim report to be published within a week
The Turkel Commission of inquiry, formed to investigate the flotilla raid last may is scheduled to submit its interim statement within a week, sources familiar with the commission%u2019s work told Ynet on Monday.
According to estimates, the committee has completed its work, which primarily deals with the legality of the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip.
http://australiansforpalestine.com/36157
20 jan 2011
Flotilla raid probe: IDF acted properly
First part of Turkel report on lethal flotilla raid in May 2010 to be published Sunday, expected to rule that troops acted properly during takeover of Turkish ship; experts say world unlikely to endorse findings.
Some eight months after the lethal IDF raid on the Turkish Marmara vessel, the Turkel Committee charged with probing the incident is set to submit the first part of its report.
The report's first chapter, to be published Sunday, is expected to rule that IDF troops acted properly in taking over the Gaza-bound ship.
A source who is well familiar with the committee's work said all its members, including the two foreign observers involved in the probe, agreed that Israel's Navy commandoes did not violate international law, even after the operation aboard the Marmara encountered unexpected entanglements.
Professor Yossi Shain, an international relations expert at Georgetown University and the head of Tel Aviv University's diplomacy program, said that any professional observer would view the Turkel Committee as a serious, distinguished team. He added that the Irish and Canadian observers appointed by the committee further boosted its credibility.
However, despite this, Shain said he expects the world to treat the committee's findings with suspicion.
"Almost naturally, committees established by Israel draw a suspicious attitude in the world," he said. "There will always be a perception whereby Israeli committees take Israel's side."
"In any case, the UN committee would have to address the Turkel report and examine the differences between its findings and UN decisions in order to find out the reason for this," he said.
Shain stressed that in his view the Turkel Committee aimed to uncover the truth, and therefore its recommendations are expected to be accepted by bodies considered objectives. However, he added that in certain international forums the battle for Israel's image is a lost cause.
"The Turks and those who are hostile to Israel, who already rushed to draft their conclusions and rule that it was murder, will have no interest in the Turkel report," he said.
Similarly, legal commentator Dror Arad-Ayalon said that in any case, regardless of Turkel's findings, "Those who have a biased view to begin with or are a party to the de-legitimization campaign against Israel will likely not be impressed by the probe."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4016792,00.html
Turkel committee to submit partial conclusions on Sunday
The Turkel Committee, probing the Navy raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, is scheduled to submit the first part of its conclusions report to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.
This part of the report examines the legality of the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip and its enforcement, as well as the actions of the flotilla passengers and their identity.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4016489,00.html
'Turkel C'tee likely to find Israel innocent of war crimes'
Source who has been working closely with Gaza flotilla commission says conclusions will show Israel acted in accordance with int'l law.
A source who has been working closely with the Turkel Committee said Thursday that its members were likely to find Israel innocent of war crimes when they release a report of its conclusions, Army Radio reported.
He said that the committee set up to investigate the events of the May 2010 raid of the Gaza flotilla will likely conclude that the way in which the IDF took control of the Mavi Marmara aid ship was in accordance with the rules of international law.
According to the source, the conclusions, which will be released next Monday, were adopted by all members of the committee and two foreign observers, who are experts in dealing with terrorism.
The report will focus on whether the blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza was legal and complied with international law.
IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi took responsibility for the botched flotilla raid in October when he testified before then Turkel Committee.
Ashkenazi told the committee that he was responsible for all IDF operations and that as the representative of the entire military there was no reason to summon additional officers or soldiers to testify before the committee.
Ashkenazi praised the commandos from the Navy%u2019s Flotilla 13 %u2013 known as the Shayetet %u2013 who boarded the ship and, according to the IDF, were lynched by a group of mercenaries. He said that the second soldier who fast-roped onto the boat from a helicopter was immediately shot.
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=204441
Israel's serious concerns about legal action due to flotilla massacre
Israel has tried hard to justify its violent overtaking of the humanitarian aid convoy to Gaza last spring. http://bit.ly/gEW9IU In particular, it has turned to convoluted, somewhat tortured interpretations of international law, which it claims provides legal cover for the brutal mission. Israel was just enforcing a blockade according to maritime law, or so the argument goes, when its Gandhi-like commandos were mercilessly attacked by Muslim extremists. This mantra has been accepted uncritically by the Israeli public.
But recent news belies the Israeli facade of legality. According to new reports, http://bit.ly/fDlSGR Israel is currently in discussions with Turkey to bribe them into legal protection. The Israelis have proposed financial compensation of $100,000 to each family of a murdered flotilla member. In return, the Israelis are demanding Turkey's assistance in indemnifying the Israeli Navy against lawsuits. This is not the behavior of a party convinced of its legal position. Rather, it is the behavior of a party that knows clearly that the Turks are able to raise this matter in international courts and is worried because of it.
Official Israeli comments on this proposed deal are quite revealing:
We made a compensation offer, and asked the Turks to do what needs to be done to address our legal concerns, said an Israeli official involved in the negotiations.
Netanyahu's adviser added that the two countries were discussing the phrasing of a compromise that both sides can live with [and] that will get our relations with Turkey back on track and remove the whole affair from the international agenda [emphasis added]. What is important to the Prime Minister, he added, is to protect the marines and commanders.
If this is not an example of outright bribery intended to avoid compliance with international law, then I don't know what is.
(9 dec 2010)
Israel offers compensation for Gaza flotilla deaths
Israel offers £63,000 each to families of men killed on Mavi Marmara in exchange for Turkey's help in indemnifying navy against lawsuits.
Israel has proposed paying compensation to relatives of Turks it killed during a raid on a Gaza-bound ship, in exchange for Ankara's help in indemnifying the Israeli navy against lawsuits, officials said today.
The offer, broached by envoys in Geneva over the weekend, included measures to improve relations between the countries, but appeared to have fallen short of Turkey's demand that Israel formally apologise for the deaths of the nine pro-Palestinian activists in May.
The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, whose delegate to a UN investigation into the bloodshed attended the rapprochement talks, also faces opposition to such a deal from his hawkish foreign minister and government coalition partner, Avigdor Lieberman.
"We made a compensation offer, and asked the Turks to do what needs to be done to address our legal concerns. We also want to see them return their ambassador and allow us to appoint a new ambassador in Ankara," an Israeli official said. "For now, however, there are still big obstacles."
The draft offers Turkey $100,000 (£63,000) each to families of the men shot dead by Israeli marines during altercations aboard the converted cruise ship Mavi Marmara, and an Israeli expression of "regret" over the incident, Israeli diplomatic sources said.
Netanyahu's adviser Ron Dermer said today Israel and Turkey were discussing "the phrasing of a compromise that both sides can live with %u2026 [and] that will get our relations with Turkey back on track and remove the whole affair from the international agenda".
He told Israel Radio: "We must remember that there are those at the United Nations, there are forces which would like to see our personnel arrested. What is important to the prime minister is to protect the marines and commanders. We have said at every discussion, at every meeting, that the troops acted in self-defence there's no question about it and not out of malice."
Rattled over private war-crimes suits filed abroad against its military brass and politicians by pro-Palestinian groups, Israel has tried to stave off any similar Turkish actions in global forums by quickly setting up two internal investigations, the findings of which will become its submission to the UN inquest.
Turkey has dismissed the Israeli inquiries as insufficient.
The rapprochement talks followed the dispatch by the Turkish prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan, of planes to help Israel extinguish a forest fire last week. Netanyahu had pledged to "find ways to express our appreciation" to the Turks.
Erdogan, leader of the Islamist-rooted AK party who is a frequent critic of Israel's Palestinian policies signalled yesterday no flexibility in Turkey's terms. He even added an older demand that Gaza's Hamas-ruled borders be opened.
"If there are those who want to start a new period, I repeat: They must accept their guilt, apologise and pay compensation. I say too that the embargoes, which have been eased but not enough, should be lifted," he told AK legislators.
The Mavi Marmara led an aid-ferrying flotilla that tried to breach Israel's Gaza blockade, imposed with the declared aim of keeping arms from Islamist organisation Hamas. A worldwide outcry at the vessel's seizure prompted Israel to allow more goods to reach Gaza's 1.5 million Palestinians by land, but not by sea.
Among the most vocal champions of the blockade is Lieberman, who leads the far-right Yisrael Beiteinu party in alliance with Netanyahu's rightist Likud.
Political sources say Lieberman is often excluded from Israel's more sensitive diplomatic contacts.
Noting that several marines were injured in the Mavi Marmara raid, a Lieberman confidant said: "It's the Turks who should be paying us compensation, and not the other way around."
That foreshadowed a possible showdown in Netanyahu's cabinet should the proposed rapprochement deal be brought to it for approval.
http://bit.ly/fDlSGR
http://bit.ly/gD6vzx
Israel: Apologizing over flotilla attack could lead to worldwide lawsuits
NAZARETH, (PIC)-- Israel's deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon is advising his government not to apologize to Turkey over the May 31 attack on the Freedom Flotilla that left nine Turkish passengers dead and many others injured, saying the move would result in international lawsuits.
We must not apologize to Ankara, because there are ethical, diplomatic and legal implications that could be presented against our soldiers for lawsuits and compensation, Ayalon told Israeli Radio.
The Turkish government is demanding that Israel apologize and pay monetary compensation to the families of the victims of the lethal attack before restoring the once sturdy diplomatic relations between the two regional powers.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu recently stated that the state's position has never changed.
http://bit.ly/gvvd7d
'Israel to compensate flotilla victims'
Israel is reportedly seeking to reach a deal with Turkey to compensate the relatives of those Turkish activists killed in the May raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla.
In exchange, Tel Aviv wants a "full shield" to protect its troops from possible legal action.
Nine Turks died and around 50 other people were injured on May 31, when the Israeli military assaulted the Gaza Freedom flotilla.
"We made a compensation offer, and asked the Turks to do what needs to be done to address our legal concerns. We also want to see them return their ambassador and allow us to appoint a new ambassador in Ankara," an Israeli official told The Telegraph.
"For now, however, there are still big obstacles," the official went on to say.
Israel has offered to pay $100,000 dollars to each family of the nine slain activists.
Tel Aviv also wants to express "regret" over the bloodshed rather than "apologize" -- which has been one of Ankara's main demands.
Turkey, however, says its demands have not changed.
"Israel has behaved unjustly towards Turkey regarding the aid ship Mavi Marmara and we are still expecting compensation and an apology," Turkey's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Selcuk Unal said on Friday.
Last Sunday, Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his position that Israel must apologize and pay compensations over the killing of nine Turkish activists.
"No one should expect us to keep silent and forfeit law and justice as long as the blood spilled in the Mediterranean is not cleared," he said.
The bilateral relations between Turkey and Israel reached their lowest ebb ever following the incident.
"Some say we should turn a new page... An apology must be offered first, compensation must be paid first," Erdogan noted.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/154932.html
13 dec 2010
Israeli lobby presses media to call off Freedom Flotilla press conference
ROME, (PIC)-- Chief Italian journalist Enzo Iacopino has fallen victim this month to pressure from the Israeli lobby in his home country over plans to host a press conference Monday for the Freedom Flotilla 2 coalition, which is set to head out to the besieged Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian aid next year.
Iacopino received dozens of letters from the Israeli lobby accusing him of hostility towards Israel and filled with statements of disapproval of his position and accusations of turning Italy's news syndicate into an un-neutral body, Quds Press quoted sources as saying.
The Freedom Flotilla coalition condemned the lobby's attacks against Iacopino, who heads 150 members of the Italian national council of journalists, calling the step an attempt to silence activists who sympathize with the Palestinians, especially those under siege in Gaza.
The coalition concluded Sunday a conference to discuss the latest preparations in the flotilla's launch. Iacopino is scheduled to throw a press conference Monday to announce those developments.
http://bit.ly/huJ9VZ
15 dec 2010
Deputy FM: Israel won't apologize for Gaza flotilla raid
Danny Ayalon's statement comes in the wake of recent reports of Israel-Turkey talks aimed at ending the diplomatic crisis between the two nations.
Israel has no intention of apologizing to the Turkish government for the Israel Defense Forces raid on Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May that left nine Turkish citizens dead, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon told the Knesset on Wednesday.
Ayalon, a member of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party, spoke to the Knesset in the wake of recent reports that Israel and Turkey have been in negotiations to end the diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
Earlier this week, it was reported that the negotiations have become deadlocked because of Israel's refusal to apologize for the killings of Turkish activists aboard the Mavi Marmara and Turkey's refusal to promise to abstain from legal action against Israeli soldiers and declare that the soldiers acted in self-defense.
An Israeli official told Haaretz that the talks are "stuck" and that "differences are still great." Nonetheless, he said it is still early to declare the talks dead and expects further discussions very soon. A Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman also stated last Friday that the talks will resume soon.
According to previously published reports, Israel has offered $100,000 to each Turkish family that lost a family member during the takeover of the Mavi Marmara. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, however, called these figures "pure speculation."
A senior Turkish source told Haaretz that the disagreement now revolves over the wording of the Israeli apology and not the issue of compensation.
Zaman, a Turkish daily which supports Turkish Prime Minsiter Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party, on Saturday quoted official sources saying that the talks in Geneva were disrupted "because of the stance of the Israeli army which is similar to that of [Avigdor] Lieberman." These sources also said that Defense Minister Ehud Barak is opposed to an Israeli apology, even though he attaches great strategic importance to relations between Israel and Turkey.
The reports of a possible Israeli apology for the raid, as well as compensation for the families of the dead Turks, aroused sharp criticism from Lieberman and others within Yisrael Beiteinu.
"An apology to Turkey is giving into terrorism," said associates of Lieberman.
Lieberman associates argued that it is Turkey who should apologize to Israel for the Gaza flotilla incident.
The recent spurt of diplomatic activity between Israel and Turkey started when Erdogan decided to send aid to help Israel extinguish the Carmel forest fire earlier this month.
Last week, Davutoglu said a "new era" of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Israel had begun following the fire
http://bit.ly/eqKohy...Read more 7 jul 2011, 01:22 , Respect
Maria 16 dec 2010
Israel will not offer apology to Turkey over May 31 flotilla attack
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli foreign ministry has refused to offer an apology to Turkey for the country's May 31 naval attack on the Freedom Flotilla, which was on its way to the besieged Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian aid.
Israel does not intend to make an apology to Turkey concerning the fleet of ships, Deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon told the media Thursday. Turkey has insisted on demanding an apology and compensation to the victims' families from Israel as a basic condition before announcing the agreement to end the diplomatic relations crisis between the states.
On a similar note, Israeli lawmaker Danny Danon from the ruling Likud party wrote to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sarcastically apologizing for Israeli soldiers using extreme restraint while seizing the ship and killing six "terrorists" only.
If Israel had prior knowledge of the presence of terrorists on board the ship, orders would have been issued that soldiers kill anyone who puts their safety at risk, Danon said.
Tel Aviv should have inspected the ships before they set sail from Turkish shores, on the grounds that its passengers carried firearms, Danon alleged.
http://bit.ly/gtfiqB
9 jan 2011
Deadline for UN probe into deadly flotilla raid postponed yet again
A U.N. inquiry into the Mavi Marmara tragedy has again postponed the release of its report. The report will be released in April. Nine Turkish activists were killed in a raid by Israeli soldiers last May as the Mavi Marmara sailed toward Gaza as part of an international aid flotilla, largely freezing relations between the once-friendly states. Reconciliation efforts between Turkey and Israel received a jump-start with meetings between high-level officials in Geneva last month but ultimately failed to produce results.
As the possibility of reconciliation at a bilateral level between Turkey and Israel has dimmed, the focus has turned one more time to the U.N. inquiry into Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla that left nine Turks dead.
The deadline for the U.N. probe, announced last August, has been postponed once more to April. The Turkish side remains anxious to finish the inquiry before May 31, the anniversary of the deadly incident. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had set mid-September last year for the panel to submit a first progress report. Chaired by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer, the panel included an Israeli and a Turk among its four members. Turkey handed its own report into the incidents on Sept. 1, as both countries were asked to present their national inquiries to the panel by that date.
Israel's acquiescence to cooperating with the U.N. probe was unprecedented, and came as a result of months-long negotiations on the panel's mandate. Yet as Israel has not presented the panel its own investigation report, the deadline for the work of the panel had been first postponed to the end of February.
As Israel continued to delay handing in its report, a move that is expected to finally be done in the second half of this month, the deadline of the panel's work has one more time been postponed to late March-early April, the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review has learned. The panel plans to start work in the second week of February. We don't want any further postponement. The panel's work should finish before May 31, said a Turkish official familiar with the process.
Israel concerned by prosecution of its citizens
The May 31 incident further deteriorated the already strained relations between the two countries.
A meeting in Geneva last month of senior officials from Turkey and Israel to mend fences failed to produce results. Turkey asks for a formal apology as well as compensation for the victims families.
The Geneva talks followed Turkey's decision a week prior to send two aircraft to help fight a forest fire in Israel.
Despite statements to the contrary, diplomatic sources say a formula can be accepted by both sides including a formal apology, yet Israel's concern of a possible prosecution of its citizens remains the main stumbling block to an agreement. Turkey is not in the position of providing the guarantee sought by Israel, as it cannot exert pressure on its own citizens to not seek justice through international channels. Furthermore, citizens from other countries were also on the ship attacked by Israel.
The Israeli state is concerned that by agreeing to apologize it would open the way to judicial cases being opened against its citizens. Turkish sources say there are also ways to overcome that problem, one of which includes an exchange of letters between the two countries, whereas Israel says it considers the case closed and won't accept any further inquiry.
The International Criminal Court was asked by lawyers acting on behalf of Turkish citizens injured or killed during the May incident to prosecute members of the Israeli armed forces last October. The court has not yet announced how it will proceed with the request. Experts say it might take years for the court to come up with a decision.
The likelihood of Israel being prosecuted for its actions in Gaza has long attracted controversy. Neither Turkey nor Israel is party to the treaty that established the international court. Turkish lawyers claim there is an overwhelming case for prosecution by the court, which some experts say has jurisdiction to prosecute those involved in the raid despite Israel not recognizing its jurisdiction.
The flotilla was made up of six ships and crewed by activists from a coalition of pro-Palestinian groups trying to break an embargo on ships entering Gaza.
Hundreds of Turkish activists were on board one of the vessels, the Mavi Marmara, when it was raided by Israeli commandos in international waters.
The activists said the commandos opened fire when they boarded the ship, but the Israelis say their troops were attacked by the activists.
The U.N. Human Rights Council's international, independent fact-finding mission concluded in September that Israeli forces violated human rights and international humanitarian law during the incident.
In a 56-page report, the fact-finding mission found that the actions of the Israeli forces in intercepting the Mavi Marmara on the high sea was clearly unlawful.
http://bit.ly/hABC34
10 jan 2011
Turkel committee interim report to be published within a week
The Turkel Commission of inquiry, formed to investigate the flotilla raid last may is scheduled to submit its interim statement within a week, sources familiar with the commission%u2019s work told Ynet on Monday.
According to estimates, the committee has completed its work, which primarily deals with the legality of the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip.
http://australiansforpalestine.com/36157
20 jan 2011
Flotilla raid probe: IDF acted properly
First part of Turkel report on lethal flotilla raid in May 2010 to be published Sunday, expected to rule that troops acted properly during takeover of Turkish ship; experts say world unlikely to endorse findings.
Some eight months after the lethal IDF raid on the Turkish Marmara vessel, the Turkel Committee charged with probing the incident is set to submit the first part of its report.
The report's first chapter, to be published Sunday, is expected to rule that IDF troops acted properly in taking over the Gaza-bound ship.
A source who is well familiar with the committee's work said all its members, including the two foreign observers involved in the probe, agreed that Israel's Navy commandoes did not violate international law, even after the operation aboard the Marmara encountered unexpected entanglements.
Professor Yossi Shain, an international relations expert at Georgetown University and the head of Tel Aviv University's diplomacy program, said that any professional observer would view the Turkel Committee as a serious, distinguished team. He added that the Irish and Canadian observers appointed by the committee further boosted its credibility.
However, despite this, Shain said he expects the world to treat the committee's findings with suspicion.
"Almost naturally, committees established by Israel draw a suspicious attitude in the world," he said. "There will always be a perception whereby Israeli committees take Israel's side."
"In any case, the UN committee would have to address the Turkel report and examine the differences between its findings and UN decisions in order to find out the reason for this," he said.
Shain stressed that in his view the Turkel Committee aimed to uncover the truth, and therefore its recommendations are expected to be accepted by bodies considered objectives. However, he added that in certain international forums the battle for Israel's image is a lost cause.
"The Turks and those who are hostile to Israel, who already rushed to draft their conclusions and rule that it was murder, will have no interest in the Turkel report," he said.
Similarly, legal commentator Dror Arad-Ayalon said that in any case, regardless of Turkel's findings, "Those who have a biased view to begin with or are a party to the de-legitimization campaign against Israel will likely not be impressed by the probe."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4016792,00.html
Turkel committee to submit partial conclusions on Sunday
The Turkel Committee, probing the Navy raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, is scheduled to submit the first part of its conclusions report to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.
This part of the report examines the legality of the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip and its enforcement, as well as the actions of the flotilla passengers and their identity.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4016489,00.html
'Turkel C'tee likely to find Israel innocent of war crimes'
Source who has been working closely with Gaza flotilla commission says conclusions will show Israel acted in accordance with int'l law.
A source who has been working closely with the Turkel Committee said Thursday that its members were likely to find Israel innocent of war crimes when they release a report of its conclusions, Army Radio reported.
He said that the committee set up to investigate the events of the May 2010 raid of the Gaza flotilla will likely conclude that the way in which the IDF took control of the Mavi Marmara aid ship was in accordance with the rules of international law.
According to the source, the conclusions, which will be released next Monday, were adopted by all members of the committee and two foreign observers, who are experts in dealing with terrorism.
The report will focus on whether the blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza was legal and complied with international law.
IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi took responsibility for the botched flotilla raid in October when he testified before then Turkel Committee.
Ashkenazi told the committee that he was responsible for all IDF operations and that as the representative of the entire military there was no reason to summon additional officers or soldiers to testify before the committee.
Ashkenazi praised the commandos from the Navy%u2019s Flotilla 13 %u2013 known as the Shayetet %u2013 who boarded the ship and, according to the IDF, were lynched by a group of mercenaries. He said that the second soldier who fast-roped onto the boat from a helicopter was immediately shot.
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=204441