Israel Warns IDF Will Destroy Syrian Fire Source – Defense/Security – News – Israel National News.

Moshe Yaalon

Flash 90

Israel warned Sunday that the days of restraint in the face of cross-border fire from Syria are finished.

Israel will respond to any shooting or other attacks that cross the northern border with Syria, Defense Minister Moshe “Bogie” Ya’alon warned.

“Any violation of Israeli sovereignty and fire from the Syrian side will be answered immediately with the destruction of the source of fire when we identify it,” Ya’alon declared.

“We view with great seriousness the shooting last night and this morning from Syria at an IDF force on territory of the State of Israel,” he told reporters in a statement.

“We see the Syrian regime as responsible for any infringement on [Israeli] sovereignty,” he added. We shall not allow the Syrian army or any other body to violate Israeli sovereignty firing into our territory.

Syrian gunmen opened fire on an IDF position in the Golan Heights Sunday morning in the second attack of its kind in about 12 hours.

IDF soldiers responded with intensive fire aimed at the source, scoring a direct hit. No Israeli soldiers were wounded in the exchange.

Late Saturday, several IDF military vehicles were hit by Syrian gunfire while traveling in the same area. None of the soldiers were wounded, but the vehicles were damaged.

It remains unclear as to exactly who is behind the firing aimed at Israel from the Syrian side of the border, as forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad battle two separate opposition groups to retain control of the country.

Syrian Jihadist Rebels Seize Jordan-Israeli Zone – Defense/Security – News – Israel National News.

View from the Golan

Flash 90

Syrian rebel forces have seized a 25-kilometer (15 mile) buffer zone stretching from the Jordanian border to the Golan Heights.

According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog agency, “Fighters loyal to Al Nusra Front, Al Yarmuk Brigade, Al Mutaz Billah Brigade and others took control of Al Rai military checkpoint” east of Sahem al-Golan, in the Dara’a province.

“The fighters seized the site after regime forces retreated,” the statement continued. “The 25-kilometer area located between the towns of Muzrib (near the Jordanian border) and Abdin (in the Golan Heights) is now out of regime control,” AFP reported.

The rebel forces referred to in the statement are part of the radical jihadist group known as the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Syria, which despises what it considers the rival Western-backed Syrian National Council, the larger opposition force.

The rebels on Saturday also seized a key air base in Dara’a after two weeks of fierce battles with troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, according to the Observatory.

On Sunday, Israel warned Syria the IDF would retaliate by destroying the source of any gunfire directed across its northern border, regardless of who fired. The warning came after two separate attacks within a 12 hour period aimed at IDF military vehicles, both of which hit and damaged the jeeps but did not injure any Israeli soldiers.

Obama in Israel: The symbolism succeeded, but what happens next? – Opinion – Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper.

Ironically, the New York Times’ Iron Dome ‘expose’ was the worst spoiler of Obama’s visit, clouding the president’s assurances on Israel’s security. The good news is the closeness on Iran policy between the U.S. and Israel and the absence of demands for preconditions to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

By Alan M. Dershowitz | Mar.21, 2013 | 10:34 PM | 6

President Obama speaking in Jerusalem Thursday Photo by AFP

Whenever a high ranking American dignitary visits Israel, there is concern that something will happen—new settlement building, further rocket attacks—to spoil the visit.  It happened again, as President Obama was visiting President Abbas, having had a positive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu.  This time the spoiler was neither Hamas nor the settlement builders (though rockets were fired and settlements expanded).  It was The New York Times, running an extensive and illustrated story casting doubt on President Obama’s signature gift to Israel:  America’s financial support for the joint anti-missile system called “Iron Dome.”

The success of the Iron Dome has been central to Israeli-American relations, as well to the security policies of both countries.  An anti-missile system capable of destroying up to 90% of Hamas rockets directed at Israeli population centers has made it possible for Israel to focus on prevention rather than deterrence.  This means fewer and shorter counterattacks in Gaza, which translates to fewer casualties on both sides.  The success of the anti-missile program also promised enhanced protection against Iranian-inspired rocket attacks from Hezbollah, and perhaps even against a potential nuclear attack by Iran (though the technology for deflecting long range missiles is different than that used to destroy missiles from Gaza and Lebanon).

Along comes the New York Times with a devastating and detailed critique headlined “weapons experts raise doubts about Israel’s anti-missile system.”  Experts quoted in the article suggest that the success rate of Iron Dome is a small fraction of that claimed by Israel and the United States—as low as 35 to 40% rather than 90%.  Some experts claim it is even lower than that, which would make it an abject failure rather than the glowing success recently claimed by Vice President Joe Biden and other officials.

Whoever turns out to be correct factually, the perception will now be that Iron Dome is not nearly as effective as claimed. This will embolden Hamas, Hezbollah, and perhaps Iran.  It will make Israelis more suspicious of their own government and less appreciative of America’s considerable contribution to Iron Dome.  It will also create increased insecurities among Israeli citizens who were counting on Iron Dome to protect them.

The timing of the New York Times article could not have been worse, coming out right in the midst of President Obama’s visit with Israeli and Palestinian leaders and just before his talk to Israeli students. It raised a distracting cloud over his repeated assurances that America will continue to support Israel’s security through projects like Iron Dome.

Despite this bad news, there was much good news from the visit. There were reports that President Abbas might be willing to begin negotiations before Israel implemented a settlement freeze, so long as Prime Minister Netanyahu provided private assurances that a freeze would begin after negotiations were underway.  This is a slight variation on a proposal I had made to President Abbas back in the fall, to which he had agreed.

President Obama’s visit had many goals. His viewing of the Dead Sea scrolls was intended to emphasize the deep Jewish and Christian relationship to the Land of Israel.  His appearance at the Tomb of Theodor Herzl was calculated to assure Israelis that during his speech in Cairo, he had not intended to suggest that Zionism began with the Holocaust. His talk to the students manifested his need to speak directly to the Israeli people rather than only to its leaders, because Israel is a vibrant democracy. His casual and warm encounters with Prime Minister Netanyahu and his family were intended to show the world that their relationship is better than how it has been portrayed in the media.  All of these symbolic stops achieved their goals.

It remains to be seen, of course, whether the unspoken goals of the trip were achieved: namely, moving the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority closer to negotiations; and persuading the Israeli leadership that the American approach to preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons should obviate the need for Israel to act unilaterally in the near future.

President Obama did emphasize the truism that Israel must remain free to take whatever decision it feels necessary to protect itself against a nuclear armed Iran, but I suspect that this green light was openly flashed with the knowledge that Israel has no current plans to take advantage of it.  Although differences remain between the red lines laid down by both countries, the two leaders seem closer together on this issue than ever before.

Finally, Obama’s approval and trust among Israelis will almost certainly improve as a result of his media interviews, his talk to the students, his positive approach to Israel’s security and the absence of any demands that Israel make unilateral concessions prior to negotiations. All in all, it was a good beginning, despite the upsetting news about the Iron Dome. What happens next will determine whether there is a happy ending.

Alan M. Dershowitz, the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard, is a practicing criminal and constitutional lawyer and the author, most recently, of The Trials of Zion.

Obama’s ‘You’re not alone’ red light for Israel – Opinion – Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper.

With regard to Iranian nuclear facilities, Obama is unequivocal: This is a global problem requiring American leadership. Israel is indeed under threat, but it is not alone. And woe betides Israel if Netanyahu pursues his goal despite an emphatic ‘no’ from Washington.

Obama’s speechwriters, or possibly computer software, interspersed all the right terms and important names in the public verbiage uttered during his visit: Holocaust and revival; Yad Vashem and Iron Dome; Ben-Gurion, Begin and Rabin; Moses and Joshua; and the generations of the Netanyahu family. If Benjamin Netanyahu appeared before the United States Congress and AIPAC to speak to Americans in their own language, sweeping the customary applause, Obama appeared before Israelis in their homes, speaking Hebrew words, just like Paul McCartney saying “Good evening Tel Aviv” in Hebrew to a melting crowd. All that was missing was some local slang.

Aside from the style, the words delivered in the natives’ language were meant to convey content. When John Kennedy identified with West Berlin, under constant threat of Soviet conquest, by saying “Ich bin ein Berliner,” he delivered a political message. When Obama says “Atem lo levad” ‏(you are not alone‏) the words carry a dual message. On one hand, these are words a mother might say to a child, meaning not just that she is there to protect him, but that there are others around, so leave something for your siblings as well.

On the eve of the Six-Day War, Foreign Minister Abba Eban was dispatched to Washington to assess how the Johnson Administration would respond to an Israeli military retaliation to the Egyptian challenge posed by the closing of the Straights of Tiran and the removal of the UN observers. Eban’s counterpart Dean Rusk summarized the American position in a forceful, seemingly polite sentence: “If you don’t act alone, you won’t remain alone.” In other words, if independent and sovereign Israel will disregard other players by taking unilateral action, it will bear sole responsibility for the consequences.

It took several more days and lame international processes for things to look different in early June 1967 compared to May, as well as a further visit by Mossad chief Meir Amit. He brought back some insights, reflecting more of an interpretation than a commitment, signaling American resignation to an Israeli military response.

Six months after the war, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol met President Lyndon Johnson at the LBJ Ranch in Texas. A prominent member of the Israeli delegation there was Israel Air Force commander Motti Hod. The air force and its commander had won their glory on the morning of June 5 using mainly French Mirage jets, in Operation Moked. In doing so Israel ignored French President Charles De Gaulle, who also demanded that Israel not forget that it was not alone in the world. A French embargo soon followed Israel’s actions. Hod’s main mission in Texas was to convince the Americans to overcome their long-standing reluctance to become Israel’s main weapons providers, and to supply its air force with the most advanced jet of the time, the Phantom.

Without Phantom jets, said Hod, Israel would be too weak in crisis situations to allow itself to forego a preemptive strike. The meaning of these words was that with Phantoms Israel would refrain from striking first, and sustain opening attacks by Arab armies while responding only subsequently. This may have led to Golda Meir’s understanding on the morning of October 6, 1973, that the political circumstances, rather than an American demand, preclude Israel from launching a preemptive strike on Egypt and Syria.

All subsequent operations ‏(or lack thereof‏), such as the strikes against the Iraqi reactor in 1981, the first Lebanon war in 1982, the Gulf War in 1991 and the Syrian reactor in 2007, teach us that Israel can act only with American acquiescence, or in an atmosphere of murkiness in which it can later claim that the messages were not clear. In other words, a green, or green-amber light is essential, not a red light. With regard to Iranian nuclear facilities, Obama is unequivocal: This is a global problem requiring American leadership. Israel is indeed under threat, but it is not alone. And woe betides Israel if Netanyahu pursues his goal despite an emphatic “no” from Washington.

Fierce clashes in Tripoli as Lebanon teeters | The Times of Israel.

Army entering town after heavy battles between pro- and anti-Assad fighters, day after prime minister brings down government

Fighters armed with automatic weapons, mortars and rocket propelled grenades clashed in the Lebanese city of Tripoli Saturday, as the army readied to quash spillover violence from neighboring Syria.

The fierce fighting in the city came a day after Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati stepped down over political infighting.

Lebanese media reported several people injured Saturday night in the fierce fighting between pro- and anti-Bashar Assad partisans in the country’s second largest city, as sectarian tensions threatened to plunge the country into further chaos.

The army said Saturday night it would enter the Alawite neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen to restore order, after the worst fighting the city has seen since the latest round of violence erupted on Thursday.

Some seven people have been killed and scores more injured in three days of fighting, according to Lebanese media.

On Friday, gunmen who support and oppose Assad clashed in Tripoli, leaving six people dead and more than 20 wounded, according to the National News Agency. Clashes between the Sunni neighborhood of Bab Tabbaneh, which supports Syria’s rebels, and Jabal Mohsen, which supports Assad, have broken out repeatedly in recent months. Assad is Alawite, a Shiite offshoot sect.

Earlier on Saturday, Mikati began his first day as caretaker prime minister until a new government can be elected.

Mikati’s abrupt resignation plunged the nation into uncertainty amid heightened sectarian tensions and clashes related to the civil war next door in Syria.

Mikati stepped down on Friday amid a political deadlock between Lebanon’s two main political camps and infighting within his own government.

“I hope that this resignation will provide an opening in the existing deadlock and pave the way for a (political) solution,” Mikati said, following a meeting with Michel Suleiman.

Mikati has been prime minister since June 2011, heading a government dominated by the Shiite militant group Hezbollah and its allies, many of whom have a close relationship with Syria.

Their main rivals are a Western-backed coalition headed by former Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, son of Rafik Hariri, who was also prime minister and was killed in a truck bombing in 2005.

A Harvard-educated billionaire, Mikati was chosen to lead the government after Hezbollah forced the collapse of Lebanon’s previous, pro-Western government over fears that a U.N.-backed tribunal investigating the killing of the elder Hariri would indict Hezbollah members.

But Mikati’s relations with Hezbollah have never been smooth. He has rejected the notion that he serves Hezbollah or that his government will act as an Iranian proxy. Hezbollah accuses him of being loyal to its rival camp.

He stepped down to protest the parliament’s inability to agree on a law to govern elections set for later this year, as well as the refusal by Hezbollah and its allies in the cabinet to extend the tenure of the country’s police chief. Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi is 58 and is about to hit the mandatory retirement age for his rank.

Rifi, like Mikati, is a Sunni Muslim who is considered a foe by Hezbollah.

In a speech on Friday, Mikati said that if Rifi was not allowed to stay on, his departure would create a “vacuum” in the police department.

Underpinning the political crisis are Lebanon’s hugely sectarian politics and the fact that the country’s two largest political blocs support opposite sides in Syria’s civil war. Lebanon and Syria share a complex network of political and sectarian ties, and many fear that violence in Syria will spread to Lebanon.

Opposition activists celebrated Mikati’s resignation by dismantling protest tents they had pitched outside the prime minister’s office for months, calling for the government’s resignation.

Among those was Karim Rifae, who said Hezbollah was preparing a second “coup” against the Lebanese state.

“They started with bringing such a government in, and when it fulfilled their targets, now they are removing it to create a deadly vacuum starting with the government then the parliament,” he said.

Mikati’s resignation may be an attempt to boost his credentials among his fellow Sunni Muslims ahead of the upcoming election and amid the violence in Tripoli, his hometown.

Some Lebanese media have speculated that his decision to step down was based on “insinuations” from the US and its allies to clear the way for an anti-Hezbollah majority, or at least a neutral government. Mikati in his speech denied that he had been pressured by foreign powers, insisting that it was a “personal choice without any intervention from anyone.”

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Friday the Lebanese people deserve a government that reflects their aspirations.

“And we have grave concerns about the role that Hezbollah plays,” she added.

British Foreign Minister William Hague expressed concern about the violence in Tripoli and urged all parties to work for “a more consensual government” as the challenges from Syria grow.

“It is critical that all parties in Lebanon prioritize national interests and … reach a broad consensus to enable parliamentary elections to take place within the legal and constitutional framework,” he said in a statement.

IDF fires at Syrian military post – Israel News, Ynetnews.

Tensions continue to escalate on northern border as IDF fires Tamuz missile at military post after Syrians fire bullets at foot patrol. On Saturday Syrians fired bullets at IDF jeep

Yoav Zitun

The IDF opened fire at a Syrian military post on Sunday after the Syrians opened fire at IDF soldiers. The IDF used a Tamuz anti-tank guided missile at a Syrian post in the Tel Fares area in the southern Golan Heights. There were no casualties on the Israeli side. The Syrian post was destroyed and two armed Syrians were wounded.

Following the incident, construction of the northern border fence was halted. Army presence in the area has been increased with the IDF on high alert.+

The Tamuz missile was fired by the Artillery Corp’s Meytar unit. The troops that carried out the missile fire were friends and comrades in arms of the soldiers wh were fired at on Saturday night.

IDF uses Tamuz missile (Archive)

Speaking of the recent escalation Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said: “We take the firing (of bullets) at IDF forces in Israeli territory very seriously.

“In response the IDFreturned fire in line with the government policy: Any violation of Israeli sovereignty and fire from the Syrian side will be answered with the silencing of the source of fire. The Syrian regime is responsible for every breach of sovereignty,” Ya’alon added.

Commenting on the situation on the Syrian border, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz said: “We have witnessed a difficult reminder of the explosive reality along the border with Syria.

“The firing at IDF forces this morning was enough to endanger our forces which is why we had to attack and destroy the post where the shots were fired from. We will continue to act at this level to maintain peace. The IDF is prepared for any eventuality.”

An IDF jeep on patrol in the southern Golan Heights was hit by a bullet fired from Syria on Saturday. This time, it was an IDF foot patrol that was hit by Syrian bullets. The IDF responded with heavy artillery directed at the Syrian post where the bullets originated from. The IDF reported it was a direct hit. The post belongs to the Syrian army but the area is occupied by many Syrian rebels.

The incident occurred at around 9 pm at the Tel Fares region in the Golan Heights as a bullet hit an IDF jeep. The Northern Command said, “There were no injuries, minor damage was caused to the vehicle.”

The heightened tensions on the Syrian border played a key role in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s decision to apologize to Turkey over the Marmara raid.

In a Facebook post, Netanyahu explained that the situation in Syria warrants a reevaluation of Israel’s relations with Turkey and noted that the presence of Global Jihad terrorists on the Syrian-Israel border in the Golan Heights “creates serious challenges for our defense establishment.”

He further added, “It’s important that Turkey and Israel, which both share a border with Syria, are able to communicate with each other and this is also relevant to other regional challenges. In addition, the visit of US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Kerry created an opportunity to end the crisis.”

“Syria is crumbling, and its massive stockpiles of advanced weapons are starting to fall into the hands of various elements. What we fear most is that terrorist groups will get their hands on chemical weapons.”

Last Wednesday, four wounded Syrians arrived at Israel’s border.

They were treated by the IDF near the border and two were taken to the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa on the orders of Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz .

The other two will be returned to Syria.

The four were injured by mortar shells and are in moderate condition. Last month, seven Syrians hurt in clashes near the border were treated in Israel. They were returned to Syria after receiving treatment at a Safed hospital. The IDF stressed the incident does not pose a precedent or any change in Israel’s policy toward Syria.

Netanyahu says Syria was main reason for apology – Israel News, Ynetnews.

In Facebook post, PM Netanyahu explains his decision to apologize to Turkey over Marmara raid, normalize relations with Ankara. ‘Changing reality requires that we reexamine our relations with countries in the region,’ he says

Attila Somfalvi

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday rationalized his decision to apologize to Turkey over the IDF‘s raid on the Gaza-bound Marmara ship that killed nine Turkish citizens.

“The fact that the Syrian crisis is constantly intensifying was a prime consideration,” he explained in a post on his Facebook page.

“Syria is crumbling, and its massive stockpiles of advanced weapons are starting to fall into the hands of various elements. What we fear most is that terrorist groups will get their hands on chemical weapons.”

The prime minister noted that he spent Saturday resting after a busy week that began with the swearing in of his new government and ended with the visit of US President Barack Obama.

“Before the Sabbath, I spoke to the Turkish premier. Three years after Israel-Turkey ties had been cut off I decided it was time to restore them. The changing reality around us requires that we constantly reexamine our relations with countries in the region.

“In the past three years the State of Israel has initiated several attempts to resolve the crisis with Turkey.”

Netanyahu explained that the situation in Syria warrants a reevaluation of Israel’s relations with Turkey and noted that the presence of Global Jihad terrorists on the Syrian-Israel border in the Golan Heights “creates serious challenges for our defense establishment.”

He further noted that Israel is closely monitoring the situation across the border and is ready to respond to any development .

“It’s important that Turkey and Israel, which both share a border with Syria, are able to communicate with each other and this is also relevant to other regional challenges. In addition, the visit of US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Kerry created an opportunity to end the crisis.

“That is why towards the end of the US president’s visit I decided to call the Turkish prime minister on order to solve the crisis and mend the relations between our two nations.”

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said that he supports Netanyahu’s decision. “The prime minister has made a responsible decision and the settlement he is leading with Turkey does not contradict the fact that we stood our ground for three years,” he said in a statement.

“Regional developments and US involvement helped end the crisis. It is a shared interest of both Israel and Turkey.” Conversely, former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman slammed the move on Friday calling it a “serious mistake.”

Earlier on Saturday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip said that Israel’s apology “it was offered the way we wanted.”

Addressing the restoration of diplomatic ties through the appointment of ambassadors he said, “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.”

Turkey badly needed to end row with Israel. Netanyahu’s apology gave Obama a diplomatic breakthrough.

breakthrough

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report March 23, 2013, 1:51 PM (GMT+02:00)

A Turkish drone in need of Israeli technology

 

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu granted the Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan a face-saver for ending their three-year rift out of willingness to crown US President Barack Obama’s three-day visit with an impressive diplomatic breakthrough. He swallowed Israel and its army’s pride and, at the airport, with Obama looking on, picked up the phone to Erdogan and apologized for the killing by Israeli soldiers of nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists in 2010 aboard the Mavi Marmara, which was leading a flotilla bound on busting the Israeli blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

The crowing comment by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu – “Turkey’s basic demands have been met; we got what we wanted” – was out of place, spiteful and ill-mannered.

He knows perfectly well that for the past year, amid a constant stream of ranting abuse from Ankara, Israel has been quietly responding to Turkey’s desperate need for cooperation in four essential fields, which are disclosed here by debkafile:
1. The Turkish armed forces are heavily dependent on Israeli military technologies from the long years of the close alliance between the two countries, which Ankara cut short. This dependence applies most particularly to its drones, the backbone of today’s modern armies. It is also holding up the huge transaction for the sale of American Boeing Awacs electronic warning airplanes to Turkey.

Boeing was unable to deliver the aircraft without Jerusalem’s consent, because a key component, the early warning systems, is designed in Israel. This consent has been withheld in the face of Turkey’s urgent need and the US aviation firm’s impatience to consummate the deal.

Turkey is in need of those planes – not just to monitor events in neighboring wartorn Syria, but to complete its air defense lineup against Iranian ballistic missiles. Without the AWACs, the advanced FBX-radar system the US has stationed at the Turkish Kurecik air base is only partly operational. The Kurecik battery is linked to its equivalent at a US base in the Israeli Negev, a fact which Ankara chooses to conceal.

2.  In view of the turmoil in Syria, the bulk of Turkey’s exports destined for the Persian Gulf and points farther east have been diverted to the Israeli ports of Haifa and Ashdod, whereas just a year ago, they went through Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Since no end is seen to the Syrian conflict and the closure of the Turkish-Syrian border, more and more export traffic from Turkey is making its way through Haifa port and thence by rail across Israel to Jordan.  Turkish goods bound for destinations in Europe and the US are diverted to Israeli ports too as Egyptian ports are made increasingly dysfunctional by that country’s economic crisis..
3. In the first year of the Syrian uprising, when Davutoglu was still a frequent traveler to Damascus for talks with Bashar Assad, Ankara entertained high hopes of becoming a major player for resolving the Syrian debacle.  But he also sought to strike a deal with the Lebanese Hizballah, Assad’s ally, for obstructing Israeli gas and oil exploration in the eastern Mediterranean
Three years on, Turkish leaders have woken up to the realization that they had better hurry up and jump aboard the US-backed Israeli energy bandwagon or else they will miss out on an outstanding and lucrative economic development, namely, the forthcoming opening up of a Mediterranean gas exporting route to Europe.

4. Turkey, Israel and Jordan are all in the same boat as targets for the approaching large-scale use of Syria’s chemical and biological weapons.
This topic was high on the agenda of President Obama’s talks with Jordan’s King Hussein Friday, March 21, in Amman, after he had explored the subject with Israel’s prime minister in Jerusalem.
Obama presented them with his plan to consolidate into a single US-led Turkish-Israeli-Jordan HQ the separate commands established six months ago in each of those countries to combat the use of unconventional weapons.
This unified command would stand ready to launch units of the four armies into coordinated land and air action inside Syria upon a signal from Washington.
The US president used his visits to Jerusalem and Amman to tie up the ends of this contingency plan with Netanyahu and Abdullah, while Secretary of State John Kerry got together with Erdogan in Ankara.

However, this four-way military effort to combat the Syrian chemical threat could not have taken off with Ankara and Jerusalem not on speaking terms.
This had been going on for three years, ever since Erdogan suspended military ties with Israel and downgraded diplomatic relations pending an Israeli apology for the Marmara incident, compensation for the victims and the lifting of its naval blockade on Gaza.

The Turkish prime minister insisted on the Israeli prime minister paying obeisance to Turkish national honor. And finally Netanyahu relented. But Israel stood its ground on the last condition; a UN probe had pronounced the Israeli blockade legal and legitimate although its raid on the Turkish ship was deemed “excessive.” So the blockade remains  in place and, indeed, Friday, March 23, Israel’s new defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, tightened it by restricting the Gaza offshore areas open to Palestinian Mediterranean fishermen.

This was punishment for the four-rocket attack staged from Gaza on the Israeli town of Sderot Thursday, the second day of President Obama’s visit to Israel.
debkafile’s military sources comment that the new defense minister may have also been directing a reproach at the prime minister for apologizing to Turkey and admitting to “operational errors,” thereby casting aspersions on the professionalism of the Israel Navy’s Shayetet 13 commando unit and its legitimate action in defense of Israel’s legal Gaza blockade.

Erdogan backtracks on understandings with Netanyahu | The Times of Israel.

Day after Israeli PM’s apology phone call, Turkish leader says it’s not yet time to drop case against 4 IDF generals over Marmara deaths, won’t send new envoy yet, will visit Gaza

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses his lawmakers in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, March 19, 2013. (photo credit: AP)

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared to backtrack Saturday on understandings reached with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a dramatic US-brokered phone call Friday on healing ties between Ankara and Jerusalem.

Erdogan said Saturday it was too early to cancel legal steps against Israeli soldiers who took part in the raid on the Mavi Mamara.

According to the Hurriyet daily, Erdogan also said the exchange of ambassadors between Israel and Turkey would not take place immediately.

“We will see what will be put into practice during the process. If [the Israelis] move forward in a promising way, we will make our contribution. Then, there would be an exchange of ambassadors,” Erdogan was quoted as saying, in remarks at an opening ceremony for a high-speed railway line in the central Turkish province of Eskişehir.

Erdogan said that, in the past, Israel had “expressed regret several times, refusing to offer a formal apology” over the killings of nine Turkish citizens of the Marmara in 2010 — the incident that led to the freezing of Israeli-Turkish ties. However, Ankara had “insisted on an apology,” he said.

That apology had finally been delivered by Netanyahu on Friday, he said. “All our demands have now been met with that apology which was offered the way we wanted,” Erdogan said in comments communicated by Today’s Zaman.

Netanyahu’s office had stated after the call Friday that “The two men agreed to restore normalization between Israel and Turkey, including the dispatch of ambassadors and the cancellation of legal steps against IDF soldiers.”

Erdogan also announced plans to visit Gaza, possibly next month. Hamas’s Gaza prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, calling Netanyahu’s apology “a diplomatic victory for Ankara,” confirmed Erdogan would visit “in the near future,” and said this trip would mark “a significant step to ending the political and economic blockade” of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

Erdogan told reporters that it wasn’t yet time to talk about dropping the case in which four IDF generals stand accused of war crimes over the incident. The indictment, prepared last summer, sought ten aggravated life sentences for each officer ostensibly involved in the 2010 raid — including former chief of the IDF General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and former head of military intelligence Amos Yadlin.

The Marmara was part of a May 2010 flotilla seeking to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza — imposed to prevent weapons imports by Hamas for use against Israel. Israeli naval commandos were attacked as they sought to commandeer the vessel on May 30 as it neared Gaza, and they killed nine Turkish citizens as they fought off attackers wielding clubs and iron bars.

In November, IHH vice president Husein Oruch had told Today’s Zaman that “Turkey is the first country in the world that will take the unlawful Israeli actions to court,” adding that the trial was “a very significant case because today will mark the day that the untouchable image of Israel will be damaged.”

Despite the formal apology issued by Netanyahu on Friday in the presence of US President Barack Obama, Erdogan’s Saturday statement indicated that Ankara was not entirely prepared to let bygones be bygones. He stressed that during his conversation with him, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had promised to improve the humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territories.

“I accepted the apology in the name of the Turkish people,” Erdogan was quoted as saying, adding that he was planning to visit Gaza in April.

“I may eventually visit Gaza and the West Bank in April. This visit would take place in the context of a general effort to contribute to the resolution process,” the Hurriyet daily quoted Erdogan as saying.

Erdogan also reportedly said he had talks with Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Hamas leader Khaled Mash’al, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during the apology negotiation process with Israel.

President Obama Doesn’t Miss a Beat | Jerusalem Post – Blogs.

Abe Foxman