Author: Petr Lyukimson, Israel, exclusively to VK
It became clear, what was the main purpose of US President Barack Obama's visit to Israel, only on the last day of his visit. Right after the US president left for Jordan, Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu apologised to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the Israeli attack on the aid flotilla that took place three years ago.
This means that reconciliation between the two countries was the first step of the newly-appointed Israeli government. It's clear that this was the result of secret diplomacy, but obviously the decision was welcomed by the authorities of both countries.
The reconciliation between Turkey and Israel seems very promising. A possible alliance of Israel, Turkey, Jordan and maybe even Azerbaijan would be very favourable for regional cooperation and would make a possible solution of the Syrian crisis much easier.
In addition to that, friendly relations between Turkey and Israel allows the allies to use Turkey's air space for a military operation against Iran in order to destroy the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities. Probably that's what an Israeli official interviewed by VK had in mind when he said that Turkey and Israel are like a couple, who can quarrel all day long, but then go to bed together anyway.
One should note that Netanyahu's statement split the country up. 59 per cent of the Israelis support the prime minister's initiative, but 41 per cent believe that the apologies were a major national humiliation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu explained his apologies to Turkey over the Israeli attack on the Turkish aid flotilla three years ago.
"This decision was made mainly because the Syrian crisis is becoming increasingly intense. Possible cooperation between Turkey and Israel is very important in such circumstances. We should also have a chance to cooperate in order to respond to other threats existing in the region," Netanyahu wrote on Facebook.
This move was criticized bitterly by some Israeli politicians, including former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman.
Netanyahu's close associate, former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, was among those who criticized the prime minister's statement concerning the flotilla raid. The former minister said that Netanyahu's decision was a serious mistake.
'Those who saw the video footage know that our soldiers were defending themselves," Lieberman said.
Lieberman also said that such statements are offensive to Israeli soldiers, strengthen extremists and prevent the successful struggle against terrorism.
