Turkey expels Israeli diplomats over Gaza raid

Turkey announced on the 2 September 2011 that it was expelling Israel’s top diplomats in Ankara and suspending military ties with the Jewish state, as relations between the former allies reach new lows.

Ahmet Davutoglu, Foreign Minister, said that all officials above the rank of second secretary would have to leave Israel’s embassy, with Turkey taking parallel steps at its embassy in Tel Aviv. Military agreements between the two countries – encompassing issues such as training and defence co-operation – would be frozen.

The move was a blow to US efforts to heal the breach between its two regional allies in the wake of the controversy over Israel’s 2010 storming of the Mavi Marmara, a Turkey-based ship that sought to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip.

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France24, 2.9.11: Turkey expels Israeli ambassador over flotilla raid http://www.france24.com/en/20110902-turkey-expels-israeli-ambassador-2010-flotilla-raid-gaza-palestinian-territories

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