Diplomatic crisis with Turkey escalates

Foreign Ministry officials would not comment Tuesday evening on whether Israel will apologize to Turkey for Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon's undiplomatic treatment of Turkish ambassador Oguz Celikkol, amid talk in Ankara that it might recall Celikkol if such an expression of regret is not forthcoming

"Apologies are not exactly a big part of [Foreign Minister Avigdor] Lieberman's repertoire," one senior diplomatic official said.

Turkey's demand for an apology, clarification and "corrective steps" came during a meeting Israel's envoy in Turkey, Gaby Levy, had with Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu.

Sinirlioglu, a former ambassador to Israel, summoned Levy over Ayalon's treatment of Celikkol the day before, when he called Celikkol to the Knesset to express outrage over a new Turkish television show that depicted Mossad agents as baby-snatchers. At that meeting Ayalon instructed the camera crews not to film them shaking hands, to show that the Turkish envoy was sitting in a lower sofa, to show that there was only an Israeli flag on the table, and not to film them smiling.

One Turkish source said that Ayalon "set a trap" for Celikkol, and that the envoy had no idea that he was being humiliated until afterward when Ayalon's words to the cameramen were broadcast.

"He thought he was sitting on the more comfortable chair," the source said of the Turkish envoy, and mentioned that Ayalon did shake his hand, but not in front of the cameras. Celikkol, who was surprised by the presence of the media at the meeting, asked Ayalon what the press was doing there, and Ayalon replied that Turkey was a popular issue in Israel that always attracted the press.

According to Turkish sources, Celikkol felt "set up" by Ayalon, and said the tenor of their 45 minute meeting was much different than the way Ayalon portrayed it to the media. Had Ayalon said to Celikkol in Turkish what he told the media in Hebrew, the source said, the ambassador would have responded.

Furthermore, according to the Turkish sources, the ambassador had no idea what the meeting was about beforehand. He had set up an appointment with Ayalon on Thursday, but on Monday received a phone call from Ayalon's office asking him to move it up, but giving no explanation.

One Turkish source sad that this type of behavior from a career diplomat like Ayalon was "shocking."

Celikkol, according to the source, said that this was the first time in his 35-year diplomatic career that he had witnessed anything of this sort.

"There is no way the ambassador can continue working here and talk to diplomatic officials if there is not an apology," the Turkish source said.

Following the meeting with Levy, the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it expected an "explanation and apology" over Ayalon's behavior. The statement called on Israel to "adhere to the rules of diplomatic courtesy and respect."

In addition, the statement said Turkey expected undefined "corrective steps to be taken with respect to the treatment shown to our ambassador to Israel."

Ayalon, before the statement was released, told Army Radio that he would not apologize.

"It's the Turks who should - for what [Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdogan said and for the television series," Ayalon said. "We are merely setting boundaries."

Ayalon was unavailable for comment after Ankara demanded an apology.

Celikkol is expected to return to Ankara later this week to prepare for Sunday's scheduled visit by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who - according to his spokesman - is determined to go ahead with the meeting and to smooth over the current crisis.

Erdogan said demonstratively on Tuesday that he would not meet with Barak, even though Turkish officials said the day before that no such meeting was planned, and that Barak would be meeting with the defense and foreign ministers.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry also reacted angrily to a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry the day before slamming Erdogan for again lambasting Israel during a press conference on Monday, this time with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Turkey, the Israeli statement said in a veiled reference to that country's history and treatment of its Kurdish minority, was the last country that could preach morality to Israel.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said it deeply regretted that statement, and that Erdogan's criticism of Israel was "exclusively related to the unacceptable policies and actions of Israel towards Gaza."

"Throughout history, Turks have extended a hand to the Jewish people whenever they were in dire conditions. The long history of coexistence between Turks and Jews is one of mutual respect and tolerance. Therefore, we reject the allegation that Turkey is the last country that will preach morality to Israel, which does not conform, above all, with the collective memory of the Jewish people. This expression, which distorts facts, constitutes an injustice to history," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

One senior Israeli diplomatic official bewailed that Ayalon had diverted attention from Israel's justified complaints over Erdogan's continued public drubbing of Israel and the anti-Semitic fare on Turkish television, to the shabby treatment of the Turkish envoy. "He single-handedly created an unnecessary crisis," the official said.

Erdogan, meanwhile, said before leaving for a visit to Russia on Tuesday that "history is the witness that we have demonstrated the necessary tolerance to Jewish people. But any sort of an approach like [Ayalon's] will always be retaliated by Turkey."

Neither Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu nor Lieberman have responded publicly to the events of the past two days, though Lieberman will have a chance to do so on Wednesday during photo opportunities during a two-day trip Cyprus.

The trip to Cyprus, diplomatic officials pointed out, was scheduled some time ago and had nothing to do with the current friction with Ankara.

According to Turkish sources, Celikkol felt "set up" by Ayalon, and said the tenor of their 45 minute meeting was much different than the way Ayalon portrayed it to the media. Had Ayalon said to Celikkol in Turkish what he told the media in Hebrew, the source said, the ambassador would have responded.

Furthermore, according to the Turkish sources, the ambassador had no idea what the meeting was about beforehand. He had set up an appointment with Ayalon on Thursday, but on Monday received a phone call from Ayalon's office asking him to move it up, but giving no explanation.

One Turkish source sad that this type of behavior from a career diplomat like Ayalon was "shocking."

Celikkol, according to the source, said that this was the first time in his 35-year diplomatic career that he had witnessed anything of this sort.

"There is no way the ambassador can continue working here and talk to diplomatic officials if there is not an apology," the Turkish source said.

Following the meeting with Levy, the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it expected an "explanation and apology" over Ayalon's behavior. The statement called on Israel to "adhere to the rules of diplomatic courtesy and respect."

In addition, the statement said Turkey expected undefined "corrective steps to be taken with respect to the treatment shown to our ambassador to Israel."

Ayalon, before the statement was released, told Army Radio that he would not apologize.

"It's the Turks who should - for what [Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdogan said and for the television series," Ayalon said. "We are merely setting boundaries."

Ayalon was unavailable for comment after Ankara demanded an apology.

Celikkol is expected to return to Ankara later this week to prepare for Sunday's scheduled visit by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who - according to his spokesman - is determined to go ahead with the meeting and to smooth over the current crisis.

Erdogan said demonstratively on Tuesday that he would not meet with Barak, even though Turkish officials said the day before that no such meeting was planned, and that Barak would be meeting with the defense and foreign ministers.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry also reacted angrily to a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry the day before slamming Erdogan for again lambasting Israel during a press conference on Monday, this time with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Turkey, the Israeli statement said in a veiled reference to that country's history and treatment of its Kurdish minority, was the last country that could preach morality to Israel.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said it deeply regretted that statement, and that Erdogan's criticism of Israel was "exclusively related to the unacceptable policies and actions of Israel towards Gaza."

"Throughout history, Turks have extended a hand to the Jewish people whenever they were in dire conditions. The long history of coexistence between Turks and Jews is one of mutual respect and tolerance. Therefore, we reject the allegation that Turkey is the last country that will preach morality to Israel, which does not conform, above all, with the collective memory of the Jewish people. This expression, which distorts facts, constitutes an injustice to history," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

One senior Israeli diplomatic official bewailed that Ayalon had diverted attention from Israel's justified complaints over Erdogan's continued public drubbing of Israel and the anti-Semitic fare on Turkish television, to the shabby treatment of the Turkish envoy. "He single-handedly created an unnecessary crisis," the official said.

Erdogan, meanwhile, said before leaving for a visit to Russia on Tuesday that "history is the witness that we have demonstrated the necessary tolerance to Jewish people. But any sort of an approach like [Ayalon's] will always be retaliated by Turkey."

Neither Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu nor Lieberman have responded publicly to the events of the past two days, though Lieberman will have a chance to do so on Wednesday during photo opportunities during a two-day trip Cyprus.

The trip to Cyprus, diplomatic officials pointed out, was scheduled some time ago and had nothing to do with the current friction with Ankara. JewPost