Benjamin Netanyahu finally spoke to journalists about not apologizing to Turkey for killing nine Jihadis who were trying to kill Israeli soldiers. The AP article is almost unbiased, save for the adjective in the lead:
PM: Israel needn’t apologize for self-defense
Israel’s leader defiantly refused on Sunday to apologize to Turkey for a deadly Israeli raid on a Turkish-led flotilla bent on breaching Israel’s Gaza Strip blockade – an incident that has battered a relationship once seen as a cornerstone of regional stability.In his first public remarks since Turkey announced Friday that it would expel the Israeli ambassador over the affair, Benjamin Netanyahu expressed Israel’s regret for the loss of lives in the May 2010 raid and said he hoped to mend ties with Turkey, formerly Israel’s closest ally in a Muslim world largely hostile to its existence.
Ankara had wanted Israel to apologize for the deaths and lift the embargo on Gaza, a Palestinian territory run by Hamas militants with a long history of deadly violence against Israel.
You would think that Turkish intransigence might get a mention, what with Erdogan’s opposition saying that he’s an idiot for focusing on the apology, but hey, this is the AP. This is the best you’re gonna get:
The decision to expel the Israeli envoy from Turkey on Friday followed the leaking of a U.N. report on the bloodshed. The report, accepted by Israel and rejected by Turkey, defended the embargo on Gaza and said violent activists on board the blockade-busting Mavi Marmara had attacked the raiding naval commandos.
But it also accused Israel of using disproportionate force against the activists and called the deaths of eight Turks and one Turkish-American “unreasonable.”
I suppose we should be thankful that the positive aspects of the Palmer Report were actually quoted in the article. But then, I guess the editor who okayed Amy Tiebel’s report isn’t the anti-Semitic jackass who manages to slip through as much anti-Israel calumny as possible before having his editions overwritten. (Yes, I’m looking at you, jackass.) All in all, for the AP, it’s a fairly balanced piece.