by Shlomo Cesana and Eli Leon
Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett: Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdoğan conducting a personal and vitriolic campaign at the expense of Israel-Turkey relations • Israeli officials: Level of compensation families will receive has not yet been determined.
Turkish PM Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan says apology deal obligates Israel to cooperate with Turkey on
Israel-Palestinian peace process.
|
Photo credit: AFP  |
||||
|
|
Economy and Trade Minister
Naftali Bennett.
|
Photo credit: Roey Alimah 
Israel's apology to Turkey over the May 2010
raid on the Mavi Marmara continues to prompt reactions both in Israel
and abroad. Several world leaders, including German Chancellor Angela
Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron, praised Israel's
apology on Wednesday, with Merkel calling it a "correct and brave step."
But there were also words of criticism coming
from home. Several days after Yisrael Beytenu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman
criticized the apology, Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett
(Habayit Hayehudi) published a Facebook status on Wednesday that also
cast a negative light on the move.
"Since the apology was made public, it appears
[Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan is doing everything he
can to make Israel regret it, while conducting a personal and vitriolic
campaign at the expense of Israel-Turkey relations," Bennett wrote. "Let
there be no doubt — no nation is doing Israel a favor by renewing ties
with it. It should also be clear to Erdoğan that if Israel encounters in
the future any terrorism directed against us, our response will be no
less severe."
Bennett concluded his message with words of
support for Israel Defense Forces soldiers, telling them "always do
everything, and I mean everything, to protect the lives of Israeli
citizens. This is your job. We'll deal with the rest. The people of
Israel stand behind you, we are always with you."
Likud MK Moshe Feiglin called Israel's apology
to Turkey a mistake: "The more you give them the feeling that they are
on the side of justice, the higher their level of violence rises,"
Feiglin said on Wednesday.
Israel and Turkey are said to be negotiating
the financial restitution that Israel will pay the families of the nine
Turks killed on the Mavi Marmara, but diplomatic officials in the
Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister's Office are not releasing details.
They said that Israel's representatives to the talks, National Security
Adviser Yaakov Amidror and Dr. Joseph Ciechanover, are expected to get
to work on the matter after the end of the Passover holiday.
Officials in Jerusalem said that the amount of
compensation each family will receive has not been determined at this
time. Israel is reportedly willing to pay $100,000 to each family, while
Turkey is reportedly demanding $1 million for each family.
Israel wants the payments to be given only to
the families and not to organizations, to prevent a scenario in which
Israel gives money to organizations that took part in the flotilla, such
as IHH, which is on its terror watch list. Israel is also seeking
assurances that the restitution agreement would rule out any future
legal proceeding in the matter.
Meanwhile, Erdoğan on Wednesday issued a
Passover greeting to Jews in Turkey and around the world, but also
continued to speak provocatively about Israel's apology.
The Turkish newspaper Hürriyet reported that
last Friday's conversation between Erdoğan, Netanyahu and U.S. President
Barack Obama was recorded.
Erdoğan said on Wednesday that the balance of
power in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process "has been shifted," as
the apology agreement mandates that Israel cooperate with Turkey on that
matter.
Turkish President Abdullah Gül said on Wednesday,
"Israel did what it had to do. Therefore I express my contentment of it.
The issue is still very fresh, let’s all wait. This is just a first
step."
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=8279
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
No comments:
Post a Comment