Fearing govt coalition could fall, Netanyahu reportedly scuttles Mavi Marmara deal with Turkey

With a UN report on last year's deadly Mavi Marmara raid due next week, Israeli's failure to apologize to Turkey for the raid is getting renewed attention. After accepting the idea of apologizing to Turkey for its "tactical mistakes" during the raid, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later changed his mind, reported the Jerusalem Post and Haaretz, based on Israeli army radio. Netanyahu reportedly had agreed to pay compensation to the families of the raid's victims, and in return Turkey was expected not to take any legal action against Israeli soldiers who took part in the raid. The deal reportedly fell through when Netanyahu changed his mind at the last minute, fearful that Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who opposes any apology, might withdraw from the coalition and cause the government to fall. The news reports added that the failure of the agreement was the main subject of a phone conversation between US President Barrack Obama and Netanyahu two days ago, with Obama expressing disappointment that it fell through.