A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Israel-Turkey Feud Blowback, Continued

Israel's first apology was insufficient, but facing the threat of Turkey recalling its Ambassador, Netanyahu made a more formal apology, and that has been accepted by Ankara.

Zvi Bar'el in Ha'aretz comments:
It is this same public that in 2003 didn't let the Erdogan government permit American use of Turkish airspace en route to Iraq and the same public that turned out in huge numbers to protest Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. It is also the same Turkish public that viewed the Jews as an historic ally, from Ottoman times.

That foundation was shaken this week by treatment that reminded the Turks of the way Ottoman sultans humiliated foreign emissaries. That will be very difficult for the Turkish public to forgive.

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