Olmert makes lame apology to Turkey

Olmert made an apology to Turkey over the incursion of Israeli bombers into Turkish airspace last month. Well, not quite. Actually, it was a rather qualified apology. IF we entered your airspace, we didn't do it to hurt your feelings. We don't apologise for actually doing it, only for upsetting you when we did it. If we actually did it in the first place, of course. And we just might do it again, just so you know and don't go getting yourself all worked up. We respect your sovereignty, but we'll violate it whenever we want. No hard feelings, okay?

What kind of apology is it when you don't even admit to doing what you are apologising for? A lame one.

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Olmert to Turks: Sorry if We Hurt You

(IsraelNN.com) Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the cabinet Sunday that he had apologized to his Turkish counterpart, Tayyip Erdogan, and before the Turkish people, for any distress that may have been caused by the entry of Israeli warplanes into Turkish airspace on September 6.

According to reports in the press, the planes were on their way to attack a suspected nuclear site in Syria.

"If planes did indeed enter Turkish airspace there was no intention to hurt or somehow challenge Turkish sovereignty, which we respect," he said.

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IAEA Chief: Israel 'Took Law into its Own Hands'

(IsraelNN.com) The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Muhammad el-Baradei, was quoted Sunday as saying that Israel "had taken the law into its own hands" when it carried out the alleged attack on a Syrian nuclear facility last month.

El-Baradei said it was "disgusting" that Israel has given the IAEA "zilch information" about the alleged nature of the facility attacked.