Israel must accept responsibility for the death of Turkish flotilla activists in 2010Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan came out swinging hard against Israel in a recent meeting with Palestinian representatives, and Israel should be listening, especially since what Erdogan had to say is in agreement with what most of the world already thinks: Israel owes Turkey a formal apology for boarding Gaza-bound ships a year ago and killing nine Turkish activists. Rhetoric is heating up, right now, and other aid flotillas are being organized in anticipation of an official UN report on the incident that will be issued near the end of the month. Turkey has been demanding an apology for the past year, along with compensation for the families of those killed. Israel has refused, somewhat incongruously stating that it is prepared to “regret” the loss of life but not take expressed responsibility for it. It is also agreeable to the establishment of some kind of fund that will go the victims' families, but Israel's contribution to it will be indirect. The apology and the compensation have long been Turkish conditions for normalization of relations between the two countries. In his talk to the Palestinians, Erdogan added, for the first time, the end of the blockade against Gaza as another element necessary for normalization. There's nothing wild-eyed about any of this. Erdogan is rightfully expressing the feelings of his people and his government, not to mention those of the rest of the world. Erdogan also renewed his support for recognition of a Palestinian state in advance of the UN vote coming up soon. Already 118 nations have pledged their support for that resolution. These are no longer the days of the Cold War, when UN votes reflected arm-twisting by the US and the USSR. Countries are following their consciences in throwing their weight behind the Palestinian cause. Turkey has maintained civil relations with all countries in the region and has, most recently, served as a valuable conduit with Israel. But its patience has been pushed to the brink. __
