Word: turkeys
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...Ayalon's theatrics struck a blow at a relationship as important to Israel as it has become fragile in recent months. Turkey, a NATO member that shares borders with such key Israeli adversaries as Syria and Iran, has long had a close relationship with the Jewish state, particularly at the level of military cooperation. Sources within Israel's Defense Ministry expressed concern that the Ayalon-Celikkol incident might imperil the visit to Turkey by Defense Minister Ehud Barak that is scheduled for Jan. 17. Barak plans to offer Turkey's military establishment an even tighter relationship with Israel. Already...
...only was Ayalon's initial action calculated to burnish the nationalist appeal of his and Lieberman's Yisrael Beitenu party, but Netanyahu's need to maintain that party's support for his coalition prompted him to initially issue a feeble statement through his aides that was regarded in Turkey as an endorsement of Ayalon's actions...
...Ayalon remained defiant, on Tuesday issuing a statement of regret over the incident that nonetheless reiterated his belief that he had acted correctly in taking Turkey to task. "My protest of the attacks against Israel in Turkey still stands," Ayalon said. "However, it is not my way to insult foreign ambassadors, and in the future I will clarify my position by more acceptable diplomatic means." But insulting a foreign ambassador was exactly what Ayalon had set out to do, and the Turks on Wednesday rejected his "apology" as insufficient. (See the top 10 embarrassing diplomatic moments...
...Finally, on Wednesday, as the clock ticked down on Turkey's ultimatum, Ayalon came out with a full, written formal apology that satisfied the Turkish Foreign Ministry. "I had no intention to humiliate you personally and apologize for the way the démarche was handled and perceived," he wrote. "Please convey this to the Turkish people for whom we have great respect ... Although we have our differences of opinion on several issues, they should be discussed and solved only through open, reciprocal and respectful diplomatic channels between our two governments...
...week began with Turkey needlessly slapped in the face, but by Wednesday, it was the turn of Israel's Foreign Ministry to suffer a public humiliation, being forced to grovel for Ankara to accept its apology. "Those who thought that nominating Lieberman to be Foreign Minister would not create problems for Israel were once more shown to be mistaken," a senior Israeli official speaking on condition of anonymity told TIME. "It was a disgrace to us all as Israelis." The Israel-Turkey relationship looks likely to absorb this week's contretemps, with neither side looking to escalate. On both sides...