Jerusalem, October 19: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is proud of such an armed intervention,” Erdogan told Greece’s Skai TV on Monday, Reuters reported.
The Israeli military attacked the Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea on May 31, killing nine Turkish citizens on board the Turkish-flagged M.V. Mavi Marmara and injuring about 50 other people who were part of the team on the six-ship convoy, which was attempting to break the siege of Gaza in order to deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian assistance to the long-suffering people of the territory.
The attack outraged the world, seriously undermined Turkey-Israel relations, and prompted two United Nations investigations.
Ankara has warned it might sever diplomatic relations if Tel Aviv refuses to apologize and recognize an impartial international inquiry and its conclusion.
It has also asked Israel to compensate the victims and lift the siege, which has been depriving 1.5 million Gazans of food, fuel, and other necessities for over three years.
The Turkish prime minister said he would not hold talks with Netanyahu because he had boasted about the Flotilla attack, and added that he would avoid Friday’s climate conference in Athens if the Israeli prime minister attends.
“On this issue, I think that Israel is close to the point of losing a very important friend in the Middle East and that is Turkey,” Erdogan said.
“I think that they must pay for this audacity that characterizes the policy of this government,” he added.
———Agencies