Israel apologizes to Turkey for deadly 2012 naval raid

JERUSALEM -- Israel agreed to restore full diplomatic relations with Turkey in a surprising turnaround Friday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized for a botched naval raid that resulted in the deaths of nine activists, mostly Turks, on a ship bound for Gaza in 2010.

Netanyahu announced the breakthrough after a 20-minute phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The call was brokered by visiting President Barack Obama shortly before he left Israel.

The announcement was an unexpected reversal by Netanyahu, who has repeatedly rejected calls to apologize. The two countries' joint interests, including fears that the Syrian civil war could spill over their respective borders, made the time ripe to mend relations.

"The two men agreed to restore normalization between Israel and Turkey, including the dispatch of ambassadors and the cancellation of legal steps against Israeli soldiers," a statement from Netanyahu's office said.

Israel stressed that the bloodshed was not intentional. "In light of the Israeli investigation into the incident, which pointed out several operational errors, Prime Minister Netanyahu apologized to the Turkish people for any errors that could have led to loss of life and agreed to complete the agreement on compensation," the statement said.

Israel intercepted a ship named Mavi Marmara on May 31, 2010, while stopping an international flotilla trying to breach an Israeli blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Israel has previously blamed the activists for the bloodshed, saying its naval commandos were attacked when they boarded the ship.