Apologize for what? Defending themselves from radical Islamists who were trying to kill Israeli soldiers?

(JPost) — Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday said that Israel was “willing to consider apologizing” for problems that occurred during last year’s raid of theTurkish flotilla ship the Mavi Marmara in which nine Turks were killed by IDF commandos.

Speaking to reporters in Washington following a meeting with his US counterpart Leon Panetta, Barak said that he would prefer to come to an understanding with Turkey rather than wait for the publication of a UN report on the incident, which he deemed “problematic for Israel.”

“Defense Ministry and IDF legal advisers recommend that we come to an understanding with Turkey in order to protect commanders and soldiers from legal action,” Barak stated.

“We are not apologizing for the blockade and we are not apologizing for using force,” he said. “We are willing to consider apologizing for problems that occurred during the Marmara operation, if indeed their were such problems. . . I don’t like it, but that is the choice that must be made,” Barak added.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stressed the importance of Israel reaching a path to reconciliation with Turkey during an hour-long meeting with Barak on Thursday, Barak’s office said.

The issue also came up in talks Barak held earlier in the day at the White House with Vice President Joe Biden and National Security Adviser Tom Donilon.

Washington — which believes a strong US-Israel-Turkey is critical for Middle East stability — has brought pressure to bear on both Jerusalem and Ankara to find a formula to end the crisis over the Mavi Marmara, according to diplomatic officials.