Turkey rejects "mutual apology" proposal

Sources in Israel have revealed that Turkey’s Prime Minister has rejected an American proposal for solving the diplomatic crisis between Tel Aviv and Ankara. The initiative produced by the Ambassador to Tel Aviv would require a mutual apology to be made by the two sides over the Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla in May 2010.

According to a report on Radio Israel, Ambassador Dan Shapiro said that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israel’s President Shimon Peres could speak to each other by telephone and apologise. The initiative was approved by the Israel Forum of the Eight Senior Ministers more than two weeks ago.

Reports in Israeli claim that Erdogan’s government still holds to its position against the Israeli-imposed siege on the Gaza Strip and its demand for an official apology from Israel over the Freedom Flotilla attack in which nine Turks were killed. Turkey is also demanding that Israel pays compensation to the families of the victims who were shot by Israeli commandos who seized the Mavi Marmara in international waters.