BICOM

Defence Minister Ehud Barak, in a meeting with United States Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta, said Israel must find a ‘creative formula’ for expressing regret instead of apologising for the Mavi Marmara incident last year, in a meeting between the two held in Washington yesterday. The meeting took place within the framework of an official visit by Barak to the US. The discussion between the two also covered a number of other areas, including Iran’s nuclear programme, the growing strength of Hamas, the uprising in Syria, and weapons smuggling into Gaza. However, the main focus was the issue of Israel-Turkey relations.

Currently, the upcoming UN report into the events that took place during the flotilla to Gaza last year – which is widely believed to uphold the legality of Israel’s maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip, but criticises the IDF for excessive force  – remains the main outstanding issue affecting the relationship. Specifically, Turkey wants Israel to apologise for the loss of life on the Mavi Marmara ship, while Israel is reluctant, considering that a full apology would be seen as an admission of wrongdoing, and would cause legal problems for IDF personnel. The Obama administration most likely supports this position, appreciating that an expression of regret, without a formal apology, would present legal problems for Israeli officers and soldiers.

The US is known to consider that the mending of bilateral relations between the two countries is a matter of vital strategic significance. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen said prior to Barak’s visit that the relationship between Israel and Turkey is ‘critical for regional stability.’ As the two strongest traditionally pro-western nations in the region, good relations between Israel and Turkey are a vital component for a secure Middle East. Much debate remains, however, as to whether Turkey’s orientation toward the Arab world and the Middle East under the current AKP leadership may preclude a return to the very warm relations enjoyed by the two countries in the 1990s.