The European Union and NATO have welcomed the normalization of relations between Israel and Turkey after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized Friday to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the death of nine Turks in a 2010 raid on the Navi Marmara ship which was trying to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
"We have been very pleased with the news on this positive step. Turkey and Israel are very important partners of the EU and the healing of their relations is in the interest of whoever wants to see security and peace in the Middle East," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton's spokesperson Michael Mann told the Turkish Anatolia news agency.
Mann added that the EU encouraged quick steps to consolidate the normalization of ties.
NATO, to which Turkey is a full member, also expressed its satisfaction over the Israeli Prime Minister's formal apology. "We naturally welcome this step that will move forward the regional dialogue and stability t," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said.
Israel, while not a member of the alliance, participates in its Mediterranean dialogue.
The British Foreign Office also issued a statement welcoming Israel's decision. "Both countries are important allies of Britain," the statement read.
In Jerusalem, Netanyahu said that Israel apologized to Turkey because of the volatile situation in Syria.
“The fact that the crisis in Syria is getting worse by the minute was the central consideration in my eyes,” he said of his apology in a phone conversation with Erdogan for “any errors that could have led to loss of life.”
World Jewish Congress (WJC) President Ronald S. Lauder warmly welcomed the thaw in relations between Israel and Turkey. Lauder said the news has been met by “a sigh of relief” in many Jewish communities around the world.
He praised Prime Minister Netanyahu’s call to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and said it had been “the right thing to do in this situation”, despite the “very justified reservations” Netanyahu and others in Israel had had against such a step.
Lauder expressed hope that the gesture by Israel would effectively end the diplomatic crisis between the two countries: “Turkey and Israel must work together. There are so many issues in the region where these two countries can make a difference. One of them is military cooperation in order to secure geopolitical stability in the Middle East.”
Lauder said he had met with Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu seven times since the Gaza Flotilla incident in May 2010: “In these talks the Turkish side has always made it clear that if Israel apologizes a new beginning in relations is possible. We sincerely hope that they will keep their word.
The WJC president praised US President Barack Obama for brokering a breakthrough in Israeli-Turkish relations: “President Obama’s visit to Israel was extremely important. He has shown that American leadership is essential if any progress is to be made in the peace process.
"On behalf of the World Jewish Congress I wholeheartedly thank him not just for helping to restore Israeli-Turkish relations but also for his important visit to Israel. “His visit further strengthened the bond between Israelis and Americans. We hope that this provide the basis for renewed efforts to restart negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.”
“Syria is disintegrating, and the huge advanced weapons stockpiles are beginning to fall into the hands of different forces,” he added.
The Syrian reality, which includes global jihadist elements on its border with Israel on the Golan, creates tremendous security challenges for Israel, he continued. “It is important that Turkey and Israel, which border Syria, can communicate with each other, and this is true regarding other challenges as well.”
A statement released by Netanyahu’s office after the conversation says Erdogan and Netanyahu “agreed to restore normalization between Israel and Turkey, including the dispatch of ambassadors and the cancellation of legal steps against IDF soldiers.”
Netanyahu, according to the statement, told Erdogan the tragic results on the Mavi Marmara were “unintentional and that Israel expresses regret over injuries and loss of life.”
The statement continued that “in light of the Israeli investigation into the incident, which pointed out several operational errors,” Netanyahu “apologized to the Turkish people for any errors that could have led to loss of life and agreed to complete the agreement on compensation.”
Erdogan said on Saturday Israel’s apology met Turkey’s conditions and signaled its growing regional clout.
“We are entering a new period in both Turkey and the region,” said Erdogan. “We are at the beginning of a process of elevating Turkey to a position so that it will again have a say, initiative and power, as it did in the past.”
Turkey recalled its ambassador with Israel, and significantly downgraded its diplomatic ties following the Mavi Marmara incident in May 2010.
The phone conversation between the Israeli and Turkish leaders took place in a room at Tel Aviv Ben-Gurion Airport with US President Barack Obama just before he boarded Air Force One for Jordan.
Netanyahu said that Israel had already lifted “restriction on the movement of civilians and goods to all of the Palestinian territories, including Gaza.”
Erdogan announced on Saturday that he may visit Gaza and the West Bank next month.
The Turkish PM has regularly criticized Israel since the Mavi Marmara incident and last month he called Zionism a “crime against humanity” ” and equated it with racism, islamophobia and anti-Semitism at a UN forum in Vienna.
He told Danish newspaper Politiken that he had been “misunderstood” and Netanyahu alluded to this semi-retraction in his conversation with Erdogan. Netanyahu said he saw the interview, and “appreciated” Erdogan’s clarification.
In the telephone discussion, Netanyahu said he saw the interview that Erdogan gave to Danish newspaper Politiken in which the Turkish Prime Minister stepped back from his statement labelling Zionism as a “crime against humanity” and equating it with racism, islamophobia and anti-Semitism. The Israeli Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for the clarification.
But Erdogan made clear that the dispatch of an ambassador to Israel would not take place immediately.
“We will see what will be put into practice during the process. If they move forward in a promising way, we will make our contribution. Then, there would be an exchange of ambassadors,” Erdogan was quoted as saying by Turkish daily Hurriyet.
According to the paper, Turkish and Israeli diplomats will hold technical talks over the next few days in Ankara to discuss the compensation package for the relatives of the activists killed in the raid.