Israel balks at apology to Turkey for killings

Turkish activists wear life jackets after receiving information of approaching of Israeli military ships. Photo / AP

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a request from United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to apologise to Turkey for the killing last year of nine Turkish militants aboard a flotilla of humanitarian aid boats attempting to break the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

In a quick reaction from Ankara, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that without an apology the strained relations between the two countries will not be remedied.

A United Nations committee which investigated the incident is expected to release its findings next Monday.

The committee, headed by former New Zealand Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer, has delayed publication of its report for months in the hope that it could include wording agreed upon by Israel and Turkey to end the tensions between them.

In an effort to avoid a total break in relations with Israel's former ally, Netanyahu has publicly expressed regret at the death of the nine men and agreed to pay compensation to Turkey.

However, he balked at the demand that Israel apologise, noting the commandos had been attacked with metal staves and knives as they descended by rope from a hovering helicopter and found themselves in a life-threatening situation.

Israeli officials later conceded that the operation had been bungled as the navy had not anticipated resistance. The commandos, whose assignment was to take over the vessel and bring it to an Israeli port, were dropped from the helicopter into the midst of a large band of militants. Video clips from adjacent naval vessels show the commandos being struck with staves before their feet hit the deck.

According to Israeli officials who have seen a copy of the Palmer report, it acknowledges Israel's legal right to maintain the blockade - something contested by Erdogan - but takes it to task for excessive use of force during the boarding.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned Israel this week that failure to apologise would have consequences.