Last summer, I spoke to Turkey’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, about the Mavi
Marmara row. Davatoglu was not only animated, but clear on what he thought. Unless Israel apologised, he said, the “relationship would change”. Now, Turkey has reacted to the
publication of a UN report (which insists that Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza was legal but that Israeli soldiers used unreasonable force) by following through on some of Davutoglu’s threats. Many
military agreements between Turkey and Israel have been suspended and the Israeli ambassador has been expelled. The Turkish Prime
Minister, Recep Erdogan, has also warned that relations will disintegrate further unless Israel
offers an apology, pays compensation and removes the embargo against the Gaza Strip. Israel maintains that there would be no apology.
The Turkish government’s actions defy the UN report’s recommendation that “Turkey and Israel should resume full diplomatic relations, repairing their relationship in the interests of stability in the Middle East.”
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