'Israel to compensate flotilla victims'

Sat Dec 11, 2010

Israel is reportedly seeking to reach a deal with Turkey to compensate the relatives of those Turkish activists killed in the May raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla.

In exchange, Tel Aviv wants a "full shield" to protect its troops from possible legal action.

Nine Turks died and around 50 other people were injured on May 31, when the Israeli military assaulted the Gaza Freedom flotilla.

"We made a compensation offer, and asked the Turks to do what needs to be done to address our legal concerns. We also want to see them return their ambassador and allow us to appoint a new ambassador in Ankara," an Israeli official told The Telegraph.

"For now, however, there are still big obstacles," the official went on to say.

Israel has offered to pay $100,000 dollars to each family of the nine slain activists.

Tel Aviv also wants to express "regret" over the bloodshed rather than "apologize" -- which has been one of Ankara's main demands.

Turkey, however, says its demands have not changed.

"Israel has behaved unjustly towards Turkey regarding the aid ship Mavi Marmara and we are still expecting compensation and an apology," Turkey's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Selcuk Unal said on Friday.

Last Sunday, Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his position that Israel must apologize and pay compensations over the killing of nine Turkish activists.

"No one should expect us to keep silent and forfeit law and justice as long as the blood spilled in the Mediterranean is not cleared," he said.

The bilateral relations between Turkey and Israel reached their lowest ebb ever following the incident.

"Some say we should turn a new page... An apology must be offered first, compensation must be paid first," Erdogan noted.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/154932.html.