While reports are somewhat conflicting, it appears that following the intervention of President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, the Foreign Ministry may indeed be issuing a formal apology to Turkey, after Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon announced earlier Wednesday that no such act would be taking place following his clarification issued earlier. His words were echoed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, resulting in the announced backing from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul issued an ultimatum on Wednesday, stating that if Israel does not apologize by day’s end, he would recommend recalling Turkey’s ambassador. It was clear from his statement that this would be the case if an apology was not forthcoming. Gul understands that just like Israel has acquiesced with terrorists in negotiations over the years, the same would be true in the diplomatic talks, as he has seen since the signing of the Oslo Agreement in 1993, an act that seems to have routed Israel on a path of unilateral self-destructive concessions to her enemies.
Earlier Wednesday evening, sources in Jerusalem indicated there would be no apology and the Turkish ambassador was being recalled, but now this is uncertain due to the high-ranking intervention, seemingly trying to prevent yet a further breakdown in relations between Jerusalem and Ankara.
In his comments in Knesset earlier in the day, Ayalon stated with confidence that ultimately, he believed his handling of the affair would prove mutually beneficial, but it appears Netanyahu and Peres do not share his confidence.
Unfortunately, usurping the Foreign Ministry and the state’s integrity, 17 MKs signed an apology and sent it to Turkey, feeling their noble gesture was an act that is praiseworthy, stepping in to correct the malfeasance of the Foreign Ministry, yet in actuality, it just serves to further divide the administration and send a message of weakness and a lacking of unity to the Turkish administration, which has been nothing but hostile to Israel over the past year.
Turkey’s official news agency is reporting the ambassador will return home for discussions, and possibly, Turkey will lower the level of its diplomatic representation in Israel.
Some reports on Wednesday night state that Deputy Minister Ayalon issued a letter of apology on Wednesday evening, but Turkey, which exhibits national pride, something that appears lacking in Jerusalem, insists its ambassador will be returning home on Thursday morning.
Without any official statements being released from Israel at this time, it remains unclear if an apology will be forthcoming from the deputy foreign minister; and if the Turkish ambassador will remain or return home; and if so, temporarily or for good.
UPDATE: 9:41PM IL: Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon has sent another letter of apology to Turkish leaders following high-level pressure on him to do so.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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5 Responses
Can the Turks now continue with their despicable TV show?
Can their PM continue calling Peres a children murderer?
Can they continue inciting the world at large with their Rish’us?
No apologies needed here.
Actually, Ayalon was deliberately rude to a foreign ambassador. There has been an established code of behavior for ambassadors going back centuries. There is even a correct “polite” way to say “your country is a pile of dung, and we declare war” but while still being dignified and polite. Considering the Turkey is a country that has a long history of friendly (at best) and respectable (at worst) relations with Israel, the public rudeness was quite unacceptable.
If Ayalon was a real Yid (frum, etc.), he would know the importance of דרך ארץ. Deliberate insulting people in public is a goyish midah.
Depressing article
You know, I’m probably one of the most zionistic posters on these boards, and somewhat right wing in my politics, but I am a firm believer in EFFECTIVENESS. Figure out what you want as a goal, then go about getting it. Don’t let emotions get in the way. In the field of diplomacy, even with anti-semites like Erdogan, There are predictable outcomes when you treat diplomats in certain ways, so unless the GOAL of this treatment was to get the Turks to recall their ambassador, it was a failure of policy and wholly ineffective. Everything else is IRRELEVANT.
The apology is simply EFFECTIVE diplomatic damage control. No more, no less.
You want to demonstrate pride? Invite the Turkish ambassador to a photo op filming him give thanks and greetings to the same search and rescue team that went to Turkey as it goes to Haiti. Then broadcast it to Turkey and Greece and Mexico and Italy and Sri Lanka and everywhere else Israeli SAR teams have gone in the past 20 years. That would be EFFECTIVE in demonstrating to the Turks that while their craven anti semitic media spews lies, Israelis are saving lives, and the ambassador could have been co-opted into giving it his hechsher. If he refused, then HE would have been the one who needed to apologize.
Israel shows, once again, that their despicable caricature of a “galus Jew” that a post-Jewish R”L Israeli can look down upon and feel superior to is a complete fallacy and, instead, the real “galus Jew” they refer to is that of Israel looking at itself in the mirror.