Israel will not apologise to Turkey for a deadly May 2010 raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla and will not lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip, an Israeli minister insisted on Wednesday, as ties with Ankara sank to new lows. “Israel defends its interests and its government will not apologise,” said Israel Katz, Israel’s transport minister and a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party. On Wednesday, Katz reiterated that the Gaza blockade would not be lifted. “Israel maintains its naval blockade of Gaza to stop the transfer of weapons to terrorists from Hamas,” he said, referring to the Islamist movement that rules the coastal territory.
