In an interview with Israel’s Channel 2, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — despite his recent efforts to restore ties with Israel after years at odds — says “it is impossible to believe” that the Israeli soldiers who boarded the Mavi Marmara tried to avert bloodshed.
The Mavi Marmara was a Turkish ship leading a protest flotilla to the Gaza Strip in 2010. An Israeli raid on the ship, during which naval commandos were attacked, and responded with gunfire, killing nine. Ten Israelis were wounded. The incident soured relations between Jerusalem and Ankara for years.
“We have all of the documents and evidence,” Erdogan says, and “it’s impossible” that the soldiers were acting in self-defense.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to Israel’s Channel 2 in an interview aired November 20, 2016 (screen capture)
“Regrettably, 10 of our brothers were martyred there,” he adds.
Erdogan dismisses footage of the incident that showed Turkish activists assaulting the soldiers with metal rods, as well as a severely injured commando held in the belly of the ship.
“We have all [of the evidence],” he tells interviewer Ilana Dayan. “Speak correctly. The fact that you’re a journalist shouldn’t prevent you from speaking correctly.
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