| 12/09 20:24 CET - Turkey and Israel are each increasingly angry at the other, after a long period of getting on well. This included trade and military cooperation ever since Turkey recognised Israel in 1948. The US largely encouraged the two countries' ties in the interest of fostering greater regional stability. But what Israel called 'Operation Cast Lead' in late 2008 pushed relations to breaking point. Israel's attack on Gaza, saying it was to stop rocket fire into Israel and prevent weapons from getting into the Hamas-governed strip, included a heavy Palestinian civilian death toll. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan unleashed a fury on Israeli President Shimon Peres at the Davos forum: "You have a very strong voice," he said. "I feel that you perhaps feel a bit guilty and that is why perhaps you have been so strong in your words, so loud. Well, you killed people." This public incident was the equivalent of a fist in the face in diplomatic terms. And more was to follow. Turkey's ambassador to Israel would be kept waiting like an errant student, summoned to explain what was considered an outrage by Israel in a Turkish TV drama portraying Mossad agents in a bad light. The ambassador was given a low seat to sit on, and was further humiliated by the absence in the interview room of the Turkish flag. Ankara took it badly. Far worse came the following year, when, in May 2010, a group of pro-Palestinian vessels sailed from Istanbul with humanitarian credentials ... |
