Former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Friday that Israel's apology to Turkey over the 2010 Israel Navy raid on the Gaza flotilla was a "serious mistake."

"Such an apology harms IDF soldiers' motivation and their willingness to go out on future missions, and strengthens the radical elements in the region,” said the former Foreign Minister.

"Worse still is the fact that the apology also affects Israel’s uncompromising struggle for righteousness, morality and for the morality of its soldiers," Lieberman said, adding that he appreciates the good relations that existed for many years between the Jewish people and the Turkish people, but the current leadership in Turkey under Erdogan is solely responsible for the deterioration of relations between the two countries.