Israel apologised to Turkey on Wednesday for televised berating Ankara's ambassador in a dispute that has strained the once good ties between the Jewish state and the Muslim regional power.
In a stern warning to Israel, Turkish President Abdullah Gül on Wednesday said that Israel has until midnight to rectify what many in Turkey regarded an unprecedented example of diplomatic rudeness to the Turkish ambassador by Israeli official earlier this week. Gül said Ambassador Ahmet Oğuz Çelikkol will be recalled if the row over his treatment is not resolved by Wednesday night.
After Ankara on Tuesday demanded an apology for his televised berating of Çelikkol on Monday, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon issued a statement conceding that his behavior toward Çelikkol had been inappropriate.
While Ayalon stopped short of using the word, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the statement as an “apology” and said he was glad that it had been made. But President Gül appeared not to see it that way. “If the problem is not resolved by tonight, our ambassador will take the first flight tomorrow [Thursday] to return home for further consultations,” Gül vowed, speaking to reporters during a reception on Wednesday. Gül stressed it is up to the Israeli leadership to defuse the tension.
“We will later evaluate the case,” he said, hinting that Turkey might be lowering its representation in Tel Aviv to the charge d'affairs level.
President Gül described the insult to the Turkish ambassador as “unacceptable” and called on Israeli higher leadership to rectify the situation. “It may have been the act of a man who does not know what he was doing,” he said, “However, in the final analysis the liability lies with the Israeli government.” “Israel is responsible here,” he added. Asked why Turkey is having problems with Israel while enjoying very good relations with all other neighbors, Gül said the question should be directed to the Israeli side. “Look at what they have been doing.
The question should be posed to them as to why Israel is isolating itself from the region and the world,” he noted.
In the meantime, the halfway apology expressed by the Israeli side was found insufficient and did not go as far as satisfying the conditions set forth by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, diplomatic sources here in Ankara said.
Reports posted from Jerusalem said Ayalon’s “apology” came in a statement conceding that his behavior toward the envoy had been inappropriate.
“My protest against the attacks on Israel in Turkey remains valid,” Ayalon said, referring to Turkish leaders’ criticisms of Israeli policy toward the Palestinians and to a Turkish television drama which portrayed Israeli diplomats as criminals. “Nevertheless,” the statement continued, “It is not my way to disrespect ambassadors’ honor and in the future I will clarify my position in a diplomatically acceptable manner.”
According to reports, a separate statement from Netanyahu’s office which described Ayalon’s statement as an “apology” said, “The prime minister feels that the protest issued to the Turkish ambassador was fundamentally correct but it should have been conveyed in the conventional diplomatic mode.”
“Thus, it is not possible for us to accept some expressions conveyed through news reports as an official and appropriate apology. We haven’t yet received any official statement by the Israeli side here at the Foreign Ministry headquarters either,” the same sources said.
Earlier on Wednesday, diplomatic sources accompanying Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during an official visit to Moscow had already told the Anatolia news agency that Ayalon’s statement was not “sufficient.”
Israel sent a formal letter of apology to Çelikkol on Thursday.
"I had no intention to humiliate you personally and apologize for the way the demarche was handled and perceived," Ayalon said in the letter, released by the Israeli government.
"Please convey this to the Turkish people for whom we have great respect. I hope that both Israel and Turkey will seek diplomatic and courteous channels to convey messages as two allies should."
On Monday, Ayalon had made clear in televised remarks that he would not shake hands with Çelikkol, ensured no Turkish flag was displayed on the table and made the envoy sit on a low couch, confronted by three Israeli officials in higher chairs, in order to ram home his displeasure with Ankara.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, one of whose priorities is countering a perceived nuclear threat from Turkey’s neighbor Iran, was due to hold previously announced talks in Turkey on Sunday. Reports posted from Jerusalem suggested that the visit would take place at the invitation of President Gül. However, Turkish diplomatic sources in Ankara made clear that Barak would be the guest of his Turkish counterpart, Vecdi Gönül.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Turkey was ready to go ahead with its scheduled plans to host Barak. Çelikkol was already scheduled to travel to Ankara later this week for preparations for the visit, yet it will become clear whether he will stay longer than planned in Ankara according to Israel’s response, which was expected by Ankara within the deadline declared by Gül.
Turkish-Israeli relations have been strained since Israel’s deadly offensive in the Gaza Strip, which left about 1,400 Palestinians dead, including many civilians, and brought heavy international criticism upon Israel, including accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity by a United Nations investigation. Since the offensive, Turkish-Israeli bilateral relations have seen exchanges of harsh remarks between Israeli and Turkish officials and crisis incidents despite efforts to tone down the crisis atmosphere.
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