Israel apologizes for deadly flotilla raid
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized Friday to Turkey for a 2009 raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, both nations said, signaling a potential major thaw after three years of chilly relations between the two key Middle East nations, CNN reported.
The Israeli leader phoned his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while sitting with U.S. President Barack Obama in a trailer on a Tel Aviv airport tarmac. In the call -- which Turkey's foreign minister said lasted for nearly 30 minutes -- Netanyahu acknowledged "operational mistakes" during the raid, which ended with eight Turks and an American of Turkish origin dead.
"(Netanyahu) made it clear that the tragic results regarding the Mavi Marmara were unintentional and that Israel expresses regret over injuries and loss of life," the Israeli government said.
Erdogan accepted the apology, which came shortly after he talked with the leaders of Egypt and Qatar. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said later on state TV, according to the semiofficial Anadolu news agency, that all Turkey's demands had been met.