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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsObama Gets Diplomatic Coup In Israel
JERUSALEM (CNN) - President Barack Obama arrived in Jordan on Friday after scoring a diplomatic coup just before leaving Israel when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu phoned his Turkish counterpart to apologize for an Israeli commando raid in 2010 that killed eight Turks and an American of Turkish origin in a Gaza-bound flotilla.
The apology, long sought by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan, brought a restoration of normal relations between Turkey and Israel, two vital U.S. allies in the Middle East, according to a statement from Netanyahu's office.
It happened in the phone call during a final meeting between Obama and Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv minutes before Air Force One departed for Jordan.
The Israeli government statement said the apology included an offer of compensation.
Obama, who U.S. officials said also took part in the call at one point, issued a statement that welcomed the development.
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superpatriotman
(6,249 posts)nt
11 Bravo
(23,926 posts)geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Late last month when Israel learned that groups operating in Turkey wanted to challenge its blockade of Gaza, Israel made every effort to ensure that all humanitarian aid reached Gaza without needlessly precipitating a confrontation. Israeli forces were able to safely divert five of the six ships challenging the blockade. However, video footage shows that the Israeli commandos who arrived on the sixth ship, which was owned by the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (the IHH), were brutally attacked with iron rods, knives, and broken glass. They were forced to respond to that attack and we regret the loss of life that resulted.
michigandem58
(1,044 posts)Just hope it doesn't involve Iran and nukes.