Nine dead terrorist-supporting blockade runners is not a "terrible loss of human life." It's called pest control. Apology? Compensation? Sure. Just as soon as Turkey apologizes to the Armenians and the Kurdish people; and compensates the surviving members of all the Armenians and Kurds they so ruthlessly massacred (and, in the case of the Kurds, continue to shamelessly kill).

Turkey needs to apologise to Iarael for causing all this trouble and provoking Israel in the first place.

What arrogance from this radical Islamist when Turkey is brutally murdering the Kurds and their genocidal murser of millions of Christian Armenians. It's time for you Turks to get on your knees and apologize and get of Israel's back.

bwess their hearts.

The Turkish requests are quite reasonable and Israel would save itself a lot of grief and isolation by complying. Turkey is the real super power of the ME, the US, Israel and the EU needs its help much more than the other way around. Sallow you false pride and do the right thing.

Damn. I wish I had thought of that, Sarah. It was brilliant! I love all of your comments, but that one still has me laughing. Kudos.

Sure. When is the United States going to apologize to Japan for Hiroshima and Nagasaki? When is the United States going to apologize to Cuba for imposing a naval embargo? When are the United States and England going to apologize to the German citizens of Dresden for carpet bombing it very nearly out of existence? When will the United States apologize to Iraq for the tens of thousands of innocent civilians that died as a result of U.S. air strikes? Ditto with respect to Afghanistan. You know .... swallow your pride. You are a complete fool -- Turkey is the "sick man of Europe" once again; their military hasn't been tested since Gallipoli unless you count the invasion of Cyprus. There is no point in courting Turkey, because it has made its choice: it is aligning itself most closely with two state sponsors of terror: Iran and Syria. Its dreams of joining the European Union are over; moreover, you can be assured that it will be removed from NATO as well. Turkey a superpower? Not hardly!

Greg, You seem to forget the footage from the ship 1 hour prior to boarding where the terrorists spent time preparing weapons to attack the force enforcing the legal blockade. Or the way these "unarmed humanitarians" grabbed and stabbed soldiers holding paint-ball guns. It has already been shown (but discounted by the prejudging commission) that there were known terrorists on board the ship and would be martyr who had prepared video messages. If any country had done to Turkey what their people did to Israel the actions would have been considered a declaration of war.

We will never apoligize. Turkey should apologize to us for sending their thugs to attack our men.

Greg, we need Turkey like we need a hole in the head. We have enough arrogant, self righteous hypocrites in the West as it is. Turkey speaks with a 'forked tongue' as your beloved John Wayne used to say. Turkey's real power was demonstrated in it's recent use of chemical weapons against the Kurds - no apology. It has illegally occupied Cyprus since 1974, oppressing the native population - no apology. It was responsible for the Armenian genocide - no apology. When push comes to shove Turkey needs it's Arab and Muslim allies around it or it is just huffing and puffing hot air. Erdogan's mask has fallen off and the Islamist Gul loves the sound of his own voice. They each have more faces than the Mount Rushmore Memorial. John Wayne knew what he was talking about!

its not the issue,you are missing the point. its like a man arrested for doing nothing but being blamed for terrible crime,tortured and asked to admit even though he is inocent. w e b e i l e v e i t w a s t h e r i g h t t h i n g t o d o !!!

like yours i am starting to understand why Israel finds itself in the gutter among nations. Turkey has the 8th largest economy in the world and it is rapidly growing. Turkey is the only country that can mediate between the west and the Muslim world. Turkey GDP is about 8 times Israel's. The US is heavily dependent on Turkey's assistance in Afghanistan. Israel in its entirety can fill a neighborhood in Istanbul. Do i need to go on? Get real and stop with your delusions.

In response to Avi, not only was it the right thing to do, we have a rule in Judaism. If someone comes to kill you, you kill them first. We're not the Christians who say turn the other cheak.

That would be an admission of guilt and Israel is not guilty. We've seen the 'would be shahid' clip of one of the passengers of the Mavi Marmara. We know the truth behind this fiasco.

and give compensation at the very least. Israel murdered American/Turkish citizens. if the same thing happened to Israelis they would hunt down and kill the perpetrators...

Japan demanding an apology from the US for shooting down Japanese aircraft at Pearl Harbor? That was occupied territory and the US had no right to be there and they did kill those poor Japanese airman. Next the stupid Turks are going to demand that we apologize for dying in the Concentration Camps too. My personal advise to Gul is hold your breath waiting because you will be long dead waiting.

Why do you live in the USA in the first place if you hate the USA that much. You love USA benefits

Abdullah Gul, you look like a king to the muslims but a complete FOOL to the free World. Castro understands now yet jimmy carter, bill clinton, the little monkey man from iran and now erdogan and his monkeys. Castro makes these idiots look like school children in Politics

Those were activists protesting the sieg of Gaza, they didn't come to kill you, if they did, you wouldn't be writing your nonsense here now.

1. Turkey has the 17th largest economy in the world, not the eighth. Keep in mind that the European Union is treated as one entity -- if you break out the member states, Turkey drops even lower. Turkey also has about 75 million people; its GDP growth rate is NEGATIVE 5.6%, ranking it 193rd out of 194 countries. Per capita income is $11,400, ranking it 97th in the world; unemployment is 14%, ranking it 143rd in the world; and inflation is 6.5%, ranking it 158th in the world. Now let's look at Israel's numbers. GDP growth rate is 0.2%, ranking it 109th. Per capita is $28,400, ranking it 48th. Unemployment is 7.6%, ranking it 74th. Inflation is 3.3%, ranking it 107th. 8 times Israel? Are you on drugs, or just delusional? For the record, Turkey does not assist the United States (or anyone else) in Afghanistan because it will not act against a Moslem country; it made that very clear. They gave the same excuse in the 1991 Gulf War. Israel is small, but it is a democracy, it is a highly technologically advanced society (which Turkey is not). Economically, Turkey's plan was to build pipelines for use in shipping natural gas to Europe. Except last January, the world's second-largest natural gas field was discovered off the coast of Haifa. Poor old Turkey. The EU is already negotiating contracts with Israel with respect to delivery of natural gas. And THAT, by the way, is the real reason behind Turkey's increased animosity towards Israel. It has nothing to do with Cast Lead, it has nothing to do with geopolitics -- it has everything to do with Israel being able to ship natural gas to Europe much more cheaply and with considerably less logistic issues. Thought you might want to know that.

Actually, I live in both places and am a citizen of both countries, although born in the United States. USA benefits? What benefits? My annual tax bill? Three staggering tuitions? $700 a month just to park my car? Oh, yeah, tons of benefits.

Islamo-fashist alliance between Iran,Turkey and Syria is getting more and more obvious and their voice more and more arrogant.

Greg,with respect you are the deluded one. Turkey has an Islamist agenda that is becoming more and more clear to the West, Israel and any astute observer. Mediating between the West and the Muslim world is more a process of appeasing the Islamic world and it's own agenda - mediation doesn't even enter the equation. Fundamentalist Islam neither mediates, tolerates or negotiates with it's principles or anyone who stands against it. This is why no Jewish or secular state of Israel will ever be accepted on land considered forever Islamic, irrespective of borders or treaties. It's time for you to 'get real' and stop living in a dream world. Another thing so conspicuous by it's absence in your rhetoric is any reference to the atrocities committed by the Turks who you advocate. Yet you demand an apology from Israel for a terrorist action again initiated by Turks in the IHH. Deluded are we.... I suggest you take a long hard look in the mirror.

If Israel is only the size of a neighborhood in Istanbul why is such a problem to the 'wonderful' Turkey. When Turkey sees fit to murder thousands of Kurds, occupies Cyprus, perpetrates the Armenian genocide and uses chemical weapons against it's local enemies, why does it deem it so necessary to concentrate so much attention to what you call a mere 'neighborhood' sized state. Why does it demean itself so in demanding an apology from such a small state that dares to stand up against it and deal it such a blow? Arrogance, hypocrisy, jealousy, fear of losing face among it's Arab/Muslim allies all spring to mind. In reality Turkey wants another Islamic caliphate and it wants to regain it's place in the Islamic world. Israel sticks in the throat of Islam and Turkey wants to be seen in the forefront against a common cause - the Zionist entity. Hence it's support of the Palestinians, it's alliance with Syria and Iran and it's expedient liaison with the west. Oh yes, Turkey has it's own agenda in the region, and it has nothing to do with mediation. It wants rid of Israel just like it's cohorts in Iran.