early stages of cold war between Israel and Turkey. Another roundup…

never forgotten images: Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon, left, meets with Turkish ambassador to Israel Ahmet Oguz Celikkol, right, in Jerusalem on Monday. Gil Yohanan/AP

Turkey suspends military ties with Israel

from World news: Turkey | guardian.co.uk by Harriet Sherwood

Turkish prime minister warns further sanctions likely after Israel refuses to apologise for 2010’s deadly raid on aid flotilla

Turkey has pursued its diplomatic offensive against Israel by confirming it is suspending defence industry contracts and threatening further sanctions, after Jerusalem’s refusal to apologise for the deaths of nine activists on board the Mavi Marmara 14 months ago.

Amid Tensions With Israel, Turkey Threatens Increased Naval Presence

by By SEBNEM ARSU

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey compared Israel?s behavior to that of a ?spoiled child? and insisted that Turkey would ensure safe navigation in the eastern Mediterranean.

No Turkey apology, lifting of Gaza blockade: Israel minister

by JERUSALEM – Agence France-Presse

Israel will not apologise to Turkey for a deadly May 2010 raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla and will not lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip, an Israeli minister insisted on Wednesday, as ties with Ankara sank to new lows.

Turkey?s Clash With Israel Warrants a U.S. Reassessment: View

Turkey has been a close ally of the West for 60 years. But its reaction to an evenhanded United Nations report on the May 31, 2010, flotilla clash should raise serious concerns about its broader shift in direction.

Turkey PM toughens line towards Israel

Turkey’s PM accuses Israel of behaving like a ‘spoilt child’ in a diplomatic row that looks set to worsen.

A misconceived panel

from Hurriyet Dailynews by HDN

One wonders if anything could have been more misconceived than the Palmer Panel, set up by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to investigate the raid by Israeli commandoes on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara in which nine Turkish activists were shot dead at close range.

Diplomatic Strains Grow Between Turkey and Israel

from NYT > Turkey by By ETHAN BRONNER and SEBNEM ARSU
Tensions between Israel and Turkey mounted further on Monday, as Turkish officials ordered senior Israeli diplomats to leave the country by midweek.

World will likely support Turkey?s moves against Israel

by Acturca
Haaretz (Israel) September 4, 2011 Sunday By Zvi Bar?el Supporting legal actions against Israel by families of the raid victims in Turkish and international courts, and appealing to International Court of Justice against the blockade of Gaza could have far-reaching effects. The expulsion of Israel?s ambassador from Ankara and downgrading of diplomatic ties to the […]

Dead in the Water

from Istanbul Calling by Yigal Schleifer
I plan to post a bit more about the complete and troubling breakdown of Turkey-Israel relations, but for now I’m posting a bit from an article I recently wrote about the subject for Foreign Policy’s website. From the article:

What?s next in Turkish-Israeli relations?

from Today’s Zaman, your gateway to Turkish daily news :: Turkish Pre
Turkey?s swift decision to downgrade its diplomatic relations with Israel and put all military agreements on hold following the release of a UN committee report on last year?s Gaza flotilla incident, which revealed that the UN considers the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza to be legal and also deems the Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara aid ship to have resulted in the ?unreasonable killing? of civilians, sparked a debate about the future of the Middle East. While Turkey?s moves to distance itself from Israel are generally thought to be justified, the future of Turkish-Israeli relations and Turkey?s next steps are matters of curiosity.

Israel-Turkey: How to change the game?

from Today’s Zaman, your gateway to Turkish daily news :: Columnists by BERİL DEDEOĞLU
Many comments have been made in Turkey about the current situation of the Turkish-Israeli relationship. Unfortunately, some of these comments were openly anti-Semitic. Besides, most of the comments did not have much to do with the specific incident of the Mavi Marmara but with regional balances and the future of relations between Israel and Turkey.

Turkey and Israel: Out of the frying pan into the fire

from Today’s Zaman, your gateway to Turkish daily news :: Columnists by AMANDA PAUL
Once upon a time Turkey and Israel enjoyed warm and friendly relations. As one Turkish diplomat told me, ?Relations were almost sacred.? While Turkey has always asked Israel to be more respectful of the rights of the Palestinian people, the countries have enjoyed cooperation on numerous issues, representing something of a ?tandem? of allies for the US in the Middle East.

Turkish-Israeli tension from a domestic policy perspective

from Today’s Zaman, your gateway to Turkish daily news :: Columnists by BÜLENT KENEŞ
Expectations for Israel?s offering an apology to Turkey for the attack its soldiers conducted against the Mavi Marmara flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza 72 miles off the coast, i.e., in international waters, killing nine Turkish civilians, have been foiled by the extremely pro-Israel Palmer Report, authored with complete disregard for the law, ethics and fairness.

Why Israel refuses to apologize

from Today’s Zaman, your gateway to Turkish daily news :: Columnists by YAVUZ BAYDAR
It is obvious that one of the top issues in the world this month will be the Palestinian bid for international recognition as an independent state by the UN. Some 140 countries seem to be in favor, according to hopeful Palestinian officials, who sound determined that the issue be pursued to the very end to achieve their goal.

A kind of cold war with Israel

from Today’s Zaman, your gateway to Turkish daily news :: Turkish Pre by Samİ Kohen
If Israel had apologized to Turkey for the Mavi Marmara attack, would the current tensions in bilateral relations have been prevented? Turkey’s stance most probably would have been very different in terms of its bilateral relations.

Is the report or the UN the problem?

from Today’s Zaman, your gateway to Turkish daily news :: Turkish Pre by Eser Karakaş
A report prepared by the Palmer Commission, which was assigned by the UN to investigate the Mavi Marmara incident, and the impact of this report will be subject to debate for a long time to come.

Ambassador’s Response | Turkey did not sponsor Gaza flotilla

by M.A.M
Mavi Boncuk |
Ambassador’s Response | Turkey did not sponsor Gaza flotilla
The aid convoy for Gaza organized in May 2010 was a humanitarian initiative with people from more than 30 countries (including the United States and Israel) in ships sailing under the flags of several nations. While there were private Turkish citizens among participants, the flotilla was not organized or even encouraged by the Turkish government, as Danny Danon conjures without evidence (?Why Turkey should apologize to Israel,? Commentary, Aug. 15). Quite the contrary.

From cold peace to cold war with Israel

from Hurriyet Dailynews by HDN
In the end, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has succeeded in winning a United Nations seal of approval that notes that the Israeli blockade of Gaza is legal, ending the cold peace with Israel and starting a cold war.

Turkey vows new Israel sanctions

from Yahoo news
Turkey says it is ‘totally suspending’ all defence ties with Israel after its refusal to apologise for last year’s deadly raid on a Gaza aid flotilla.