With problems in Syria and Iran, Israel was right to try to improve relations with Turkey. In spite of the Islamist party in power most Turks are not traditionally anti-Israel, unlike the Arabs. Most Iranians have not been traditionally anti-Jewish, in spite of their current Islamist president.

all the ihh including zoabi should have been shot, not just the 9 because they conspired to harm the idf in a legal blockade. Erdogan is full of merde along with his yossi beilin stooge dovotogolu, a self righteous turkish bastard along with gul, another islamist yes men. turkey is sscared to death of syrian missiles,r an like a scared rabbit to nato for help and now pushes israel to aplogoize to get idf help in dealing with syrian fallout. Turkey is a basket case, always has been . The US just wants quiet and if israel is swallowed into palestine so be it as it is sick of the whole israel problem.... just go away. israel should not fall for the US trap that kerry is setting as it will leave 67 borders with a phony arab league which is rotten to the core erdogan style assurances.

This was the seventh flotilla organized by Huwaida Arraf who has Israeli citizenship. She must be prosecuted and jailed for several years. She first was a human shield for terrorists in the Church of Nativity then was allowed to create these flotillas to the point where even subversives like Haneen Zonabi was on board. Want this insanity to end? Prosecute Arraf and jail her. She is US citizen, let he live over there if she wants, but jail her and prosecute if she returns to Israel--or pay a higher price. And declare the ISM an illegal terrorist supporting organization to be closed down in Israel and the the Territories.

are such an idiot, a history revisionis & antisemite. Take a pill. Maybe U will get over yourself & feel like the jerk U really are. But I doubt it !

If that is the case Israel is pretty screwed then. Rivaling against Iran is one thing, rivaling against Iran and Turkey would be an illusion, rivaling Turkey, Iran and Egypt is delusion. Good luck to Jewish state.

Israel has a huge, insurmountable debt with the international community. While we oppress another people, we have no voice, no dignity in international forum. We were humiliated by the flotilla, we defended our own borders and still we have to apologize for that. This is so ridiculous. But there is no way out. Either we keep the occupation and keep being a pariah or we allow Palestinians to have their State and became a light among the nations.

the only problem with your argument is that your friends dont want a State of their own. If they did, they would have had it long ago .

"Israel has a huge, insurmountable debt with the international community" For what? Genocide of our people, their centuries of racism, rape, murder, and theft because we are Jews? We owe the international community NOTHING WHATSOEVER. That so-called oppression is of illegal colonists trying to kill us and steal our lands. We do need to end the occupation - the Jordanian colonists need to go back to Jordan

Mr. Hendel, Israel is an unbeliavable beautiful, magnificient shiny gem and our finger is empty! New Solar tech has just passed its break-even point & profitable today. Israel has solar tech, Israel has brain, Israel has natural GAS but this Palestinian conflict :-((( Thanks to your kind permission. If I have to repeat my recent comment given below; US & Russia are always stopping our projects. For example "Project Nebuchadnezzar" gas pipeline between Austria-Germany-Turkey. Nabucco pipeline no more available :-(( They say kindly; Nord stream / South stream / South Caucasus pipelines are enough for you. Iran-Russia are preventing Trans Caspian pipeline. Is it fair??? No. I love Greek people. Greek people is my people but... Do we have to share the gas with "Trans Adriatic pipeline" with Anglosaxon Greece instead of Nabucco??? Why is lengthening the road??? Everybody knows why. Aluminum was so important, that in 1942, eight German saboteurs landed from U-boats; four on Long Island and four just south of Jacksonville, FL on a mission to destroy Alcoa’s plants in Alcoa, TN, Massena and East St. Louis. As early as 1939, R. S. Reynolds (President of Reynolds Metals) traveled to Europe and saw the German military buildup. When he returned to the US, Reynolds urged Davis to triple capacity for aluminum production for aircraft, but Alcoa was slow to move. (****my purpose is only sharing an historical fact!!!!!) Arabs are producing Aluminium ingots with record quantities thanks to enormous oil reserves & smelters but they prefer drinking mirra and sleeping on the sand. We have paid nearly a billion dollar for the Syrian refugees. Turkey is supplying electricity for Lebanon with floating powership "Fatmagül Sultan". In Israel, Turkish Zorlu Group is building natural gas cycle power plants, dams in Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ramat Negev, Migdal Ha’Emek, Eilat and now solar power plants. Russian, Caspian, Iranian (optional), Iraqi, Gulf, Egyptian, Greek Cypriot, Israeli gasses will together pour into Turkey. It has to be. Only Leviathan has approx. 425 billion m3 natural gas!!!! We will build 600 km underwater pipe for it. Israel is strong and has enough power to change our routel! Regards.

Mr. Hendel acknowledges Israel did nothing wrong. Nothing that merited a base apology. It was Turkey's PM Erdogan who erred. Yet he says an apology to the Turks was in order because, "Obama's visit created new interests. Logic triumphed. Only an ass does not change its mind, and obstinacy is the hallmark of failed countries." Then there is the other kind of ass described in our Bible as we approach Passover eve; the ass that is comes into heat because Obama's visit provokes her passions. There is, according to Israel's prophet, the "wild ass (that is) accustomed to the wilderness, She sniffs the wind in her passion. In the time of her heat who can turn her away? All who seek her (including Barack H. Obama) will not become weary; In her month (he) will find her."

the idf commando who boarded were underequipped by his majesty ehud barak, the know it all who was dead wrong on this mission and bibi who put all his faith in barak while he ran off to new york. the IHh was waiting for idf commando rappelling onto the deck. Some idf commando should have kept cover over the commando rappelling and fired to clear the deck.. Erdogan is a gutless turk, never served a day in themilitary, went to islamicschools so that's what his brain knows-aalh akabr and that is it. turning back to idf soldiers, circumstances were difficult but an issue remains on a prisoner swap. IDF trains recruits to beware, have their guns ready and to fight being taken captive. Shalit who went through hell and deserves credit for his perseverance presents some troubling comments. He didn't hear the briefing and he was paralysed so he didn't fire at the attacking arabs. This is not good enough. Attend all briefings, and have your guns ready and fight. hamas remarked when they took him captive that he appeared so weak, so unlike a soldier. The IDF must transform passive types into fighters with martial arts training and the like. Shalit has paid the price but the idf training is suspect. All israelis should be in top shape in the idf and ready to fight and that goes for the haredi especially.A msjor cause of antisemitism is the deliberate weak appearance and manner of haredi. This must be changed.

Someone has used her name and nationality - Israel and Brazil - and impersonated her, posting a comment she would not make.

and that Erdogan sought or even created this provocation. Hag Pesach Sameach to all my YNET friends..... ..#7 get a life....you're not our Keren do Brasil

De Gaulle once said " countries do not have friends,they have interests". Kissinger repeated this axiom.Erdogan is an antiisraeli and has dreams of grandeur.So what ? He won't be in power forever. But Turkey is a regional power who wants to be admitted in the EU and wants a chunk of the Israeli-Cypriot gas,maybe even the pipeline to pass toward Russia on its terrtory.Israel is its rival,but does not want to worry about straight cooperation between Iran and Turkey. Thanks God,the previous cooperation between Turkey and Syria went down the drain ( to the great displeasure of Erdogan,I bet.).So the renewed eventual " friendship " between those two countries could be beneficial to both of them.

Perfect...just perfect. Nothing to add, you nailed it on the head!

year israelis make a declaration/prayer in which they state that all vows, oaths, promises, etc. are null & void from yum kipur to the next yum kipur.

Nice try, phony Keren, but no dice. Now go crawl back under your bridge, troll.

I don't know how many Jews world-wide recite the prayer you've quoted. I sure don't recite it. Moses was clear. When we "make a vow to the LORD our God," we must NOT delay to pay it. Otherwise (quoting) "it would be sin in you, and the LORD your God will surely require it of you." That is the law of Moses. What you are quoting, I don't know from whom or where it originated. It was not from Moses (Moshe).

Dear Obama, ma name is Erdogan and I want apologize, when, as a member of Otan, I didn't permit your army attacking Irak from Turkish bases. It was just a misunderstanding! I have so may problems with Israël: a permanent headache! I will ask compensation ! Your friend Erdogan

Only as concerns other Jews and only those which are halachically unsupportable. Educate yourself here: http://www.ou.org/chagim/roshhashannah/annulment.html By the way -- it's Kol Nidrei. And Yom Kippur. If you are going to try and pass yourself off as Jewish, best learn the spelling.

Actually, you are wrong. Turkey had to choose between continued membership in NATO or stronger ties to Iran. In light of the major issues that have developed between Iran and Turkey because of Iran's support -- including troop presence -- of Assad in Syria, I would say Turkey has made its decision. Don't worry about luck for the Jewish State. Skill and technological superiority are all we need and THAT we have .... in spades.

It will be duly filed with your other ones.

AS THE COMMENTATOR OF THIS ARTICLE. INDICATES ISRAEL COMMITED A MISTAKE BY RELEASING THE NEXT DAY THE IHH TERRORISTS ! SHE SHOULD INVESTIGATE THOROUGHLY AND AFTER PUT THEM INJAIL AS TERRORISTS ! ONCE IN JAIL ISRAEL COULD PLAY HIS CARD OF DETERRENCE TO ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO DAMAGE ISRAELI LAW AND INTERESTS

Apology was a smart move: "Keep you friends close and your enemies closer" -- The Godfather

and the Miamara was not Entebbe. There were more sophisticated methods avalible for disabling the ship & towing it to Ashkalon w/out a commando operation. If macho headlines are more important to the Prime Minister & the Chief of Staff than quiet diplomacy, then we need to think more, read more, and learn more before the next election.

With Syria imploding and an attack on Iran likely in the coming year, either by the U.S. alone, or the U.S. providing support and logistics for Israel, it was imperative that Israel and Turkey bury the hatchet. Erdogan may be a nasty person but he is against Assad and against the regime in Iran and as they saying goes "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Israel will need the support of Turkey if it decides to attack Iran. It already has the quiet support of Qatar, the Gulf States, and Jordan in destroying Iran's nuclear facilities. And for you Obama haters still out there.... George Bush refused to sell Israel bunker busting bombs to attack Iran. Barack Obama has sold these weapons to Israel.

“…or we allow Palestinians to have their State and became a light among the nations.” Palestinians, a light among the nations??? You are kidding…right?

As a US citizen you would do more to lobby your President not to come to my country and mess our reality. Instead of vomiting your shtuyots here try to opinate in the New York Times or Washington Post.. There is no place in Israel for you, dearest.

The point of raiding the ships was not stopping that particular convoy, which carried nothing important anyway. The real reason was to publicly demonstrate that the blockade will be enforced. According to the international law, a sea blockade must be fully and indiscriminately enforced in order to be legal.