Middle East News

Turkey downgrades Israel ties following UN report

Sep 2, 2011, 14:03 GMT

A photograph made available on 02 September 2011 shows the Turkish passenger ship avi Mamara docked in under police watch in the southern Israeli port town of Ashdod on June 1, 2010 . EPA/JIM HOLLANDER

Ankara/Jerusalem - Turkey said Friday it will expel Israel's ambassador to Ankara and suspend military cooperation between the two countries following Israel's refusal to apologise for a May 2010 naval intervention on a flotilla bound for the blockaded Gaza Strip.

The Turkish move, announced in a news conference in Ankara by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, comes after the New York Times published a UN investigation into the flotilla incident.

The inquiry found that Israel's blockade of the Strip was legal, but that Israeli naval commandos used 'excessive and unreasonable' force in taking over the lead ship in the armada, the Turkish vessel Mavi Maramra.

The 105-page report also found, however that Israeli naval commandos faced 'organized and violent resistance from a group of passengers' on board the Maramra.

Eight Turkish nationals and one Turkish-American citizen were killed in the Israeli raid. The UN report says the loss of life was 'unacceptable.'

Davutoglu said some of the report's findings were unacceptable. Israel diplomatic officials said Israel would adopt the report, albeit with some reservations, which they did not specify, but which most likely have to do with the criticism of the Israeli soldiers.

'The measures taken at this stage are to downgrade the (diplomatic) relations between Turkey and Israel to the level of the second secretary,' Davutoglu told the news conference.

Israeli diplomats said Israel had tried in the past months to settle its disputes with Turkey, but 'regrettably, without success.'

Turkey downgraded its diplomatic ties with Israel following the flotilla takeover, recalling its ambassador. Israeli ambassador to Turkey, Gabi Levy, currently on home leave, is due to end his service with the foreign ministry later this month.

Israel-Turkey trade stood at 2 billion dollars in the first half of 2011, a 26-per-cent rise over the same period last year. Trade between the two countries in 2010 accounted for 2.6 per cent of Israel's foreign trade.

Israel's military agreements with Turkey, principally upgrading tanks and aircraft, as well as the sale of unmanned pilotless vehicles, is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Officials in Jerusalem were currently checking what would happen to these deals, Israel Radio quoted an unnamed diplomatic official as saying.

Turkey threatened Thursday to take 'drastic' diplomatic steps - including a possible downgrading of diplomatic and economic ties - if it did not receive an apology from Israel over the flotilla incident.

Israel has made it clear it will not apologise, and the UN report into the flotilla incident does not stipulate that Israel issue one, recommending instead that it express regret and pay reparations.

The UN report was slated to be handed to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Friday afternoon.

The report said the flotilla 'acted recklessly in attempting to breach the naval blockade.' It noted that while the majority of activists on board the six ships had no violent intentions, there did exist 'serious questions' over the 'conduct, true nature and objectives of the flotilla organizers,' the I.H.H. Humanitarian Relief Foundation, a Turkish aid group.

It said Israel should have issued warnings closer to the moment of boarding the ships, and first tried non-violent methods. It also strongly criticised Israel's treatment of passengers after the takeover, saying it included 'physical mistreatment, harassment and intimidation, unjustified confiscation of belongings and the denial of timely consular assistance.'

Publication of the report was delayed several times as Israeli and Turkish officials tried to defuse the crisis in relations between their two countries.

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