Breaking: Turkey expels Israeli envoy
I suppose this was to be expected. Turkey has thrown a temper tantrum over the release of the Palmer Commission report, which declared Israel's blockade of Gaza legal while concluding that the IHH members on the Mavi Marmara engaged in premeditated violence. The report also castigated the Turkish government for not trying to stop the blockade-running attempt.
The Turkish government has thrown a temper tantrum: They have
expelled the Israeli ambassador to Turkey.
In a dramatic turn of events, Turkey announced that it was expelling Israeli Ambassador Gabby Levy from Ankara. Turkey withdrew its own ambassador to Israel immediately after the raid. Davutoglu said Turkey's diplomatic representation in Israel would be further reduced to second-secretary level.
The announced followed a press conference, in which Davutoglu said that some of the UN's Palmer Report's findings on the raid were "unacceptable."
Turkey vowed Friday that its demand for an apology from Israel in the wake of the deadly raid on last year's Gaza-bound flotilla remains unchanged, stating that it is powerful enough to protect the rights of its citizen. The statement was made in Ankara's first official reaction to a leaked United Nations panel report on Mavi Marmara incident.
What's amazing about watching this is that everyone acts as if our relations with Turkey were fantastic until the Mavi Marmara incident happened. They were not. If they had been, perhaps Turkey would not have sent the IHH and the flotilla in the first place. Relations with Turkey have been embittered at least since Erdogan stormed off stage in Davos in January 2009 after attacking Shimon Peres for the Olmert government's conduct of Operation Cast Lead.
No one here is crying over Turkey. No one. I hear the beaches in Greece are nicer anyway. Heh.
Labels: Ahmet Davutoglu, Gaby Levy, Mavi Marmara, Palmer Commission, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey, Turkish obsession with Israel
Wikileaks: Israeli ambassador to Turkey called Erdogan an anti-Semite
And you thought all the really meaty stuff from Wikileaks was out. You were wrong. According to a recently released US diplomatic cable, Israel's ambassador to Turkey Gabby Levy described Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a “fundamentalist” who
hates the Jewish state on religious grounds (Hat Tip:
Sparky the Wonder Dog via
American Thinker).
“Levy dismissed political calculation as a motivator for Erdogan’s hostility, arguing 
the prime minister’s party had not gained a single point in the polls from his bashing of Israel,” says the cable, which was sent by the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, and released by the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks.
“Instead, Levy attributed Erdogan’s harshness to deep-seated emotion: ‘He’s a fundamentalist. He hates us religiously’ and his hatred is spreading,” according to the cable.
Levy's term in Turkey expires next week. The cable was written in October 2009, long before the Mavi Marmara incident.
More on Erdogan's anti-Semitic background
here. More on Erdogan's anti-Semitic mentor
here.
Labels: Gaby Levy, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Wikileaks
Davutoğlu summons and 'warns' Israel's ambassador to Turkey
Israeli ambassador to Turkey Gaby Levy (pictured) has been summoned and 'warned' by someone acting on behalf of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoğlu. The
content of the warnings was not disclosed.
Davutoğlu made the fact that the 'warnings' were given public (Hat Tip:
Joshua I).
Levy was summoned at Davutoğlu's order and the Israeli diplomat had a meeting with Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Halit Çevik, who gave him a series of “serious warnings and messages,” Davutoğlu said in an interview broadcast on a local television channel in Konya, his hometown and electoral district. The foreign minister did not reveal what the warning were about, saying only that they concerned “recent developments.”
But the conversation, whose date was not given, appeared to be about a planned aid flotilla to Gaza. Davutoğlu denied reports that Levy had visited the Foreign Ministry to tell the Turkish officials to stop the flotilla, which is expected to sail towards Gaza in June despite an Israeli blockade of the coastal strip.
“Ambassador Levy's coming to the Foreign Ministry and issuing such a warning is out of the question. No foreign ambassador in Ankara can do that,” Davutoğlu said. “On the contrary, he was summoned to the Foreign Ministry upon my directions and given several serious warnings and messages about recent developments. Turkey's expectations concerning steps that need to be taken so as to prevent a repeat of similar events were conveyed to him,” he added.
Davutoğlu said he would not provide details about the content of the meeting but added that Gaby was given “clear messages” regarding Turkey's stance on certain issues.
Another report makes clear that the warnings related to the prospect of a
repeat attempt by the Mavi Marmara to breach Israel's blockade of Gaza.
"What Turkey expected to prevent repetition of similar incidents to Mavi Marmara attack have been relayed to the ambassador," Davutoglu said while speaking at a tv program.
When recalled that participation to Israel's foundation anniversary celebrations was low and that nobody from the cabinet attended the celebrations, and asked whether this was a diplomatic boycott, Davutoglu said it was not right to describe this a diplomatic boycott.
"It is very meaningful that nobody went there although there was not a boycott decision," Davutoglu said adding that Israel should take this stance into consideration seriously.
Davutoglu said Israel should soon review its stance and should show respect to Turkish nation, "normally, we are careful about national days of the countries. If they want our friendship, criteria of this is clear. Israel should admit its crime and compensate it," he said.
When recalled the news reports that ,"a second flotilla is getting prepared to set sail a short time before the anniversary of the Mavi Marmara attack. There are demands from the United States and Israel to stop this flotilla. Israeli Ambassador in Ankara Levy came to foreign ministry and told to stop the flotilla," Davutoglu said it was out of question for Levy to come to the ministry to make such a warning. "No ambassador can come to Foreign Ministry in Ankara to make warning," he said.
"On the contrary, Deputy Undersecretary Halit Cevik recalled Israeli Ambassador upon my directives, made him serious warnings over the recent developments and gave messages," Davutoglu said.
It's time to recall Levy from Ankara. Enough is enough.
Labels: Ahmet Davutoglu, flotilla, Gaby Levy, Gaza plenty, Mavi Marmara, Turkish obsession with Israel
I suppose this was to be expected. Turkey has thrown a temper tantrum over the release of the Palmer Commission report, which declared Israel's blockade of Gaza legal while concluding that the IHH members on the Mavi Marmara engaged in premeditated violence. The report also castigated the Turkish government for not trying to stop the blockade-running attempt.
