Turkey, Israel relationship faces further deterioration
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Xinhua, September 7, 2011
Turkey said Tuesday that it was suspending military, defense industry and trade ties with Israel and stepping up naval patrols in the eastern Mediterranean, escalating the tension with its one-time close ally in the Middle East.
Turkish-Israeli relations have been strained since May 31, 2010, when Israeli commandos stormed a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, killing eight Turkish nationals and one American.
After a United Nations-mandated inquiry report into the raid was leaked to the media last week, Ankara renewed its demand for an apology by the Israeli government. However, the request was again dismissed by Tel Aviv, further angering Ankara.
The UN report said Israel used "excessive and unreasonable" force in the raid, but at the same time labeled Israel's blockage of Gaza as "legal."
After the release of the report, the upset Ankara announced a series of measures against Israel, which included downgrading Turkish-Israeli diplomatic ties to the second-secretary level, suspending bilateral military agreements, and demanding a review of the Israeli blockade of Gaza by the International Court of Justice.
Ella Ofek, Israel's deputy ambassador to Turkey, was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry Sunday and informed that Israel's senior diplomats ranked above the level of second secretary must leave the country by Wednesday.
In a sign of further deterioration in ties with Tel Aviv, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday Ankara was "totally suspending military, defense industry and trade relations with Israel."
"This process will be followed by different measures," Erdogan told reporters without elaborating on what measures could include.
However, Turkish officials stressed that Erdogan was referring to defense trade ties rather than other commercial relations. Turkish Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan said Monday that Turkey would do nothing "so far" to change its economic ties with Israel.
Erdogan also announced his attempt to pay a visit to the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the radical Islamic Hamas movement and has been under a strict embargo by Israel for more than four years.
The prime minister said he would decide whether to do so after talks with Egyptian authorities during his visit to Cairo next Monday.
Erdogan would enter Gaza through the Rafah border crossing of Egypt if Cairo gives consent. Yet, security concerns could hamper a possible crossing into Gaza, a Turkish official told Xinhua.
Erdogan also hinted that Turkey would increase its naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean.
"The eastern Mediterranean is not a strange place to us. Our bases have the power and opportunity to provide escorts. Of course our ships will be seen much more frequently in those waters," he said Tuesday, referring to Israel's sending naval ships to international waters in the eastern Mediterranean to enforce the Gaza blockade.
Meanwhile, Ankara has intensified its efforts to support the Palestinian statehood bid at the United Nations.
Turkey is involved in planning the Palestinian campaign to achieve international support and will do its best to ensure the highest possible vote in the UN General Assembly for the recognition of the Palestinian statehood, said Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu Monday at a joint press conference with visiting Palestinian envoy Nabil Shaath.
For its part, Israel tried to smooth Turkey's ruffled feathers.
"Israel and Turkey are the two strongest nations in the Middle East and in many respects. We have disputes, and even in the case of disputes, it's very important that the two sides use their brains and not act from the gut," Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told reporters Tuesday.
