06/12/2010 Turkey has reiterated its position that Israel must apologize and pay compensations over the killing of nine Turkish activists aboard the Freedom Flotilla before Ankara-Tel Aviv relations can improve.
Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that "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," AFP reported.
Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that "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," AFP reported.
Nine Turks died and around 50 other people were injured on May 31, when Tel Aviv ordered the assault on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla relief mission. 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 said.
The clarification came following speculations that the strain in the ties had lessened, when Turkey dispatched two helicopters to help Israel douse a devastating forest fire that killed 41 people. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly thanked Ankara for the assistance.
The Turkish leader, however, said, "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." He described the civil defense assistance for fire control as "our humanitarian and Islamic duty."
Uprooted Palestinian
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