By JPOST.COM STAFF

Yuval Steinitz Photo: Hadas Parush

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu did the correct and rational thing by apologizing to Turkey last week over theMavi Marmara, International Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz (Likud) said Friday evening in an interview with Channel 2. He added that in his opinion Israel should have apologized three years ago.

He noted that while the issue was important to the US, but the initiative was Israel’s. “We took into account that [Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdogan would try to portray it as a victory,” he said.

Steinitz, however, said the the affair was not a matter of justice, but that relations with Turkey are important and reconciliation between the two countries will allow renewed discussion about the Syria crisis. He also said that the move should put an end to legal claims against IDF soldiers involved in the raid of theMavi Marmara flotilla that led to the death of nine Turks.

“We put the ball in their court… we did what we needed to do,” he opined, explaining that Netanyahu had decided to take advantage of US President Barack Obama’s visit to the region to put and end to the affair.

Also questioned on the state’s budget, the former finance minister said his replacement Yair Lapid is conveying the right overall message – that the budget is difficult.

“He is doing the right thing, he is preparing the public for tough cuts. There will always be cuts, but this time is will be particularly difficult,” Steinitz said. He pointed to recommendations made by the Trajtenberg Committee on Socioeconomic Change – brought about by the social justice movement – as a major cause of necessary budget cuts, saying that they costs 10 billion Shekels. “Now we need to fund those recommendations,” he said.

Steinitz, however, was keen to emphasize that relative to the economy in the rest of the world, Israel’s economy is in good shape.