I would have apologized to Turkey, says former Israeli PM

ISTANBUL

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert speaks to the press following a sentence hearing in his corruption case at Jerusalem's District Court on September 24, 2012. AFP Photo

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert recently said that if he had been the prime minister during the Mavi Marmara incident, he would have apologized to the Turkish government, according to private broadcaster NTV.
 
"If I was the prime minister, I would have apologized to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and to the Turkish people for the death of the civilians," Olmert said during a lawyers' union conference he attended.
 
"I would have contacted the [Turkish] government two days after to reach a compromise," Olmert added.
 
Israeli forces raided a Gaza-bound flotilla in May 2010, killing nine Turkish activists on board. The incident caused a rapid deterioration in the bilateral relations between the countries when Israel refused to issue a formal apology or pay compensation to the families.