Arutz Sheva, Israel
Feb 14 2009

Turkish-Israeli Ties in a Stew: Elections ‘Paint a Dark Picture’

by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

(IsraelNN.com) Relations between Israel and Turkey worsened Saturday
with Ankara’s official warnings that Israel’s election results
"painted a very dark picture" for the Middle East. Turkey also
summoned Israel’s ambassador following a critical statement by an IDF
officer.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with
Turkish media, "Unfortunately we have seen that the (Israeli) people
have voted for these (rightist) parties and that makes me a bit
sad. Unfortunately the election has painted a very dark picture."

Israel has had friendly relations with Turkey, and comments on a
general election are considered unusual.

However, the country’s relations with Israel have been problematic
since last month’s dramatic confrontation at the World Economic Forum
in Davos, Switzerland, when Erodgan scolded Israeli President Shimon
Peres over Israel’s war against terror in Gaza and called for the
United Nations to expel Israel from the international body. Erodgan
walked out during a response by President Peres.

In an apparent response to the criticism, IDF ground force commander
Major-General Avi Mizrachi commented that the Turkish Prime Minister
should "look in the mirror" before criticizing Israel. His references,
some of them veiled, to genocide of Armenians, Turkish oppression of
Kurds and its occupation in northern Cyprus prompted Ankara to summon
Israeli ambassador Gabi Levy.

In an effort to calm the storm, the IDF issued a rare repudiation of
Mizrachi’s comments, stating that they did not represent the IDF
position.

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