Mavi Marmara

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sharply criticized Israel for its reaction to theraid Thursday saying that "Israel stands to lose its closest ally in the Middle East if it does not change its mentality."

Erdogan argued that "Turkey tried to preserve their relationship, but the Israeli government did not understand this, and performed a historical mistake."

RELATED:

"This mistake is not only against Turkey, it is against civilians from 32 different countries," he said.

"Violent policies will not bring about a positive outcome, Erdogan exclaimed. "We will not avert our eyes from violence like this," he said.

US working with Turkey, Israel on raid aftermath