In fact, this was clearly all worked out well in advance — the long-awaited but still not expected apology, by Israel’s Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu to the Turkish people via his counterpart, Turkish Prime Minister Recip Tayyip Erdogan, for the deaths of nine Turkish men.
The brokered by U.S. President Barack Obama [and, according to the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglo, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was instrumental in the process, which Davutoglu said was “interesting”…]
The Turkish Government has apparently produced two [mirror-image and nearly-identical] texts, in English and in Turkish, here, which are also reproduced below:
Statements concerning the phone call between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu as agreed upon by the two sides:
Israeli statement:
“Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke today with Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey. PM Netanyahu told him he had just had good conversations with President Obama about regional cooperation and the importance of Israel-Turkey relations. He regretted the recent deterioration of relations between Israel and Turkey and expressed his commitment to overcoming their differences in order to advance peace and stability in the region. PM Netanyahu said he had seen PM Erdogan’s recent interview in a Danish newspaper and appreciated his words. He made clear that the tragic outcome of the Mavi Marmara incident was not intended by Israel and that Israel regrets the loss of human life and injury. In light of Israel’s investigation into the incident which pointed to a number of operational mistakes, the Prime Minister expressed Israel’s apology to the Turkish people for any mistakes that might have led to the loss of life or injury and agreed to conclude an agreement on compensation/nonliability. Prime Minister Netanyahu also noted that Israel had substantially lifted the restrictions on the entry of civilian goods into the Palestinian territories, including Gaza, and that this would continue as long as calm prevailed. The two leaders agreed to continue to work together to improve the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories.”
Turkish statement:
“Prime Minister Erdogan spoke today with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel. He told him of the importance he attaches to the shared history and centuries old ties of strong friendship and cooperation between the Jewish and Turkish peoples. He said the recent deterioration of the relationship between Turkey and Israel, which he sees as having vital strategic importance for the peace and stability of the region is regrettable. He reiterated Turkey’s support for all international and regional efforts to find a just, lasting and comprehensive resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict on the basis of the two-state vision. In light of Israel’s investigation into the Mavi Marmara incident which pointed to a number of operational mistakes, Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed Israel’s apology to the Turkish people for any mistakes that might have led to the loss of life or injury. On behalf of the Turkish people, Prime Minister Erdo?an accepted this apology. They have also agreed to conclude an agreement on compensation/nonliability. Prime Minister Netanyahu also noted that Israel had substantially lifted the restrictions on the entry of civilian goods into the Palestinian territories, including Gaza, and that this would continue as long as calm prevailed. The two leaders agreed to work together to improve the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories.”