A Turkish citizen who was a passenger on the Mavi Marmara flotilla announced Wednesday that he will donate any compensation from Israel to Hamas and Islamic Jihad .
Mehmet Tunc declared that he would not touch even he would not touch even “one Turkish Lira."
Tunc told reporters in Istanbul that nine of his friends had been "martyred" by the Israeli forces when IDF soldiers acted "against international law."
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Last month Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to Erdogan over the deaths of nine Turkish citizens in the IDF raid on the Gaza-bound Marmara ship.
IDF boards Marmara (Photo: AP)
Israel and Turkey are in disagreement over the compensation the Jewish state is to pay Turkey. Israel wants to pay a total of $1 million to the families, while Turkey is demanding that each family receive $1 million.
A year ago Jerusalem and Ankara agreed that the money would not be transferred directly to the families. Rather, the money is to be transferred to a humanitarian fund headed by the Turkish government, which will distribute it.
Israel agreed to pay $100,000 to each family, while the Turks are demanding $1 million for each of the families of those killed during the commando raid on the Mavi Marmara. Israel refused, and suggested paying the same amount paid by the Turkish army to the families of its fallen soldiers – 125,000 Turkish liras, or some $70,000.