‘Turkish FM boycott more proof Israel’s apology was a mistake’

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said Friday that the Turkish FM’s announcement that he would not attend a conference in Germany so as to avoid Israeli representatives was “more proof Israel’s apology to Turkey was such a big mistake.”

“As long as Turkey is being led by its current leadership, under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his friends, rehabilitating Israel-Turkish ties stands no chance,” said Liberman, adding “Turkey under Erdogan is a country only interested in attacking and taunting Israel and we must react accordingly.”

Earlier Friday, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he would not attend the Munich Security Conference, citing the presence of Israeli representatives at the event.

“I was going to participate in the conference but we decided not to after they included the Israeli representatives in the Middle East session,” he told the official Anatolia news agency in Berlin.

Cavusoglu emphasized that the decision should not be seen as a move against Germany. “Our relationship with Germany is not limited with the Munich conference,” he added.

Israel issued a formal apology to Turkey in March 2013 for a 2010 incident in which the Turkish Mavi Marmara ferry was boarded by Israeli commandos as it attempted to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. In the ensuing melee, after the Israeli soldiers were attacked with iron bars and wooden bats, troops opened fire and nine Turkish activists were killed; 10 Israeli soldiers were injured.

The incident triggered a crisis in relations between Israel and Turkey, which were already strained since Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2008-2009. Erdogan lashed out at then president Shimon Peres at the 2009 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, telling him: “When it comes to killing, you know very well how to kill. I know well how you hit and kill children on beaches.”

Turkish-Israeli ties have yet to recover and they continue to be shaky, with Turkish officials often unleashing scathing criticism of Israel.

Last month, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of killing Palestinian children and radicalizing the Muslim world.

“(Netanyahu) himself killed, his army killed children in the playground. They killed our citizens and an American citizen in international waters. This is terrorism,” Davutoglu told Reuters, in reference to the deadly Israeli assault on a Turkish vessel trying to break the naval blockade on the Gaza Strip.

“These provocations create frustration in the Muslim world and are becoming one of the reasons why these radical trends are emerging,” Davutoglu said.

“If we want to establish peace and order in the Middle East, eliminating all the extremist forces, we have to solve the Palestinian question,” he continued.

Similarly, Erdogan last month blasted Netanyahu for “daring” to attend the Paris anti-terror solidarity march in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre, and accused him of leading “state terrorism” against the Palestinians.

“I also hardly understand how he (Netanyahu) dared to go there. For once, you give an account for the children, women you massacred,” Erdogan told a joint press conference in Ankara alongside Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Erdogan is known for his angry outbursts at the Jewish state, declaring in July that Israel had “surpassed Hitler in barbarism.” Turkey under his rule has been a consistent supporter of Hamas, the terror group that rules Gaza.