During a speech to the Turkish parliament unveiling his new government's program, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, warned Israel that it faces isolation within the international community, unless it apologizes for its actions.
"Normalization of relations between the two countries is unthinkable unless Israel apologizes for this illegal act which is against all international law and values, pays compensation to the relatives of those who lost their lives in this atrocious event, and lifts the embargo on Gaza," Erdogan said.Dr. Ayman Salama, a professor of international law and member of the Egyptian Council believes that Israel has lost its last friends in the region. Israel appeared unable to recognize that both Turkey and Egypt are its closest regional allies, he said. Formerly relations between the neigboring countries had been friendly but the pot boiled over when “Israel consistently failed to apologize for the bloodshed” and the deaths of Egyptian and Turkish nationals, says Salama. He accuses Israel of grave violations of humanitarian, international and maritime laws.“The actions of Israel undoubtedly reflect that it is not willing [to embrace] peace,” he declared. “[Israel's] illegal acts reflect that it is not an ordinary member of the United Nations. These acts resulted in severe pressure upon the shoulders of sovereign Arab states, in particular Turkey and Egypt.”