Netanyahu apologises to Turkey PM for flotilla

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday apologised to his Turkish counterpart Friday for the deaths of nine Turks in a 2010 raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, a senior US official said. "On behalf of Israelis, he apologised for any deaths those operational mistakes might have caused," the official said aboard Air Force One, indicating the exchange had taken place in a phone call. Turkish Prime Minister (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan accepted the apology on behalf of Turkey, the official added. Netanyahi announced full resumption of Turkey ties following the apology. US President Barack Obama welcomed the move in a statement issued before he wound up a three-day trip to the Holy Land. "I welcome the call today between (Israeli) Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu and (Turkish) Prime Minister (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan," he said, stressing the need to heal the deep rift since 2010 between Washington's two allies.