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ANKARA, Turkey (Jerusalem Post) – In another sign of continued tensions between Ankara and Jerusalem, the Turkish military canceled a planned joint exercise with the Israel Air Force scheduled for this week.
Turkey informed Israel of the cancellation of the Anatolian Eagle exercise last week, which was to also include US, Italian and NATO forces, saying this was because the planes that Israel was going to send likely bombed Hamas targets during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip earlier this year.
JERUSALEM (New Zealand Herald) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed never to allow Israeli leaders or soldiers to stand trial on war crimes charges over their actions during January’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip, furiously denouncing a UN report to the Knesset.
Netanyahu’s rhetoric – and his decision to open the high-profile speech with remarks on the report – reflected the deep distress felt among Israeli leaders after a UN commission accused Israel of intentionally harming civilians when it launched a massive attack in Gaza to stop years of rocket fire.
“This distorted report, written by this distorted committee, undermines Israel’s right to defend itself. This report encourages terrorism and threatens peace,” Netanyahu said in his address at the opening of Parliament’s winter session.
“Israel will not take risks for peace if it can’t defend itself.”
(Zaman) – Israel’s close relations with Russia and Turkey’s decreasing role in Israel’s foreign policy have marked the transformation of Russia into a considerable power in Middle Eastern affairs.
However, regional experts disagree with this statement. Adjunct senior research fellow Shlomo Gazit from the Institute of National Security Studies (INSS), a think tank based in Israel, said that although he highly regarded Turkey’s ambitions to help bring about reconciliation between Israel and Syria after their long-lasting territorial dispute, he is not optimistic about the results of these efforts.
“We have enormous respect and great appreciation for Turkish efforts. But they have not succeeded — not because of the Turks,” Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon stated. This does not necessarily mean that Israeli-Syrian talks have failed under Turkish auspices. “Nevertheless,” Gazit continued, “I am afraid the present Turkish approach has no serious chance for success.”
Stating that the Turkish negotiation efforts were ambiguous and their success seemed improbable, Gazit also noted that Israel no longer trusts Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after his outspoken criticism at Davos concerning Palestinians.
(Haaretz) – Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned against further harming Israel’s relations with Turkey, after Turkey excluded Israel from a joint military exercise because of its criticism of Israel’s winter offensive against Hamas in Gaza.
“The relations between Israel and Turkey are strategic and have been maintained for dozens of years,” Barak said in a closed meeting, according to a statement his press officer released. “Despite all the ups and downs, Turkey continues to be a central player in our region; it is unsuitable to be drawn into criticizing it.”
Israeli cabinet split on approach relations with Turkey
Officials at the Foreign Ministry called an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis between Israel and Turkey, marked by the cancellation of Anatolian Eagle Exercise.
A senior source at the ministry told Haaretz about concerns that strategic ties with Turkey are in jeopardy after Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip earlier this year.
Foreign Ministry sources confirmed that the meeting had taken place following instructions by ministry director general Yossi Gal, but they declined to give details.
Officials are debating the depth of the crisis. One view holds that “strategic ties” has become a unilateral description of the situation and that Turkey’s government under Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not interested in such links.
“It may be that the reality has changed and the strategic ties that we thought existed have simply ended,” said a senior Israeli official. “Maybe we need to be the ones who initiate renewed thinking regarding our ties and must adopt response measures.”
Supporters of this approach point out that of the countries with diplomatic ties with Israel, Turkey might be the most hostile.
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CAIRO, Egypt (Xinhua) – A Palestinian reconciliation pact due to be signed by rival Hamas and Fatah factions on Oct. 25 in Cairo might be delayed for several weeks, local media citing Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit.
Abul Gheit said Palestinian factions have requested the delay, without disclosing which factions made the requests.
Meanwhile, Azzam al-Ahmad, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, said that Egypt has advanced the date of signing the Palestinian reconciliation deal, but did not reveal the new date.
A controversial decision by the Fatah-led Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to delay a vote in the UN Human Rights Council on a report on Israel’s 22-day war in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip has outraged the Palestinians.
Hamas led the condemnation against the PNA and President Mahmoud Abbas, accusing them of betrayal.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."
