Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out any apology from his country for a deadly commando raid on a Turkish Gaza-bound aid ship in May that killed nine Turks.
"Israel cannot apologise because its soldiers had to defend themselves to avoid being lynched by a crowd," Netanyahu said in an interview broadcast on public television on Friday.
On May 31 Israeli commandos raided a Turkish ship leading an activist aid flotilla to the Gaza Strip, killing nine Turkish militants, in an operation that triggered international condemnation and strained ties with Ankara.
Military exercises cancelled
Turkey recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv and cancelled three planned joint military exercises after the raid.
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It also twice denied permission to Israeli military aircraft to use its air space.
Netanyahu's remarks come two days after Trade Minister Benjamin Ben Eliezer and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu held secret talks in Brussels to try to ease the feud sparked by the deadly raid.
Talks spark tension
The talks sparked tensions in Israel as it emerged that Netanyahu gave the go-ahead for the meeting without informing hardline Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who has said he is opposed to any apology for the raid.
Netanyahu met Lieberman on Friday to mend ties with the firebrand top diplomat.
At the meeting, Lieberman reiterated that he does not want Israel to apologise or pay the compensation Turkey is seeking, saying it would harm Israel's international standing, an official said.
