Ömer Çelik, deputy chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), said military agreements would be cancelled with Israel for the short term. “Regarding Turkey-Israel relations, everything will be cancelled in the short term, from military agreements to other ties,” Çelik said. On May 26-27 teams of commandos from the navy’s elite and secretive Flotilla 13 unit began rehearsing for the operation off Israel’s coast, according to Israeli defense officials. Defense Minister Ehud Barak gave the final approval, and on Friday, three Israeli boats left port with the commandos on board.
Around 600 of the flotilla’s 700 passengers were aboard the Mavi Marmara. Most were from Turkey and Arab countries, but the group also included dozens of Americans and Europeans, including lawmakers and an Arab member of Israel’s own parliament. The Israelis ordered the flotilla to halt, but the ships pressed ahead. The resulting Israeli raid left nine people dead, including eight Turkish citizens and one US citizen of Turkish descent. Around 30 people were wounded in the attack.
Turkish government sources said it was Barak’s order for a raid that made the AK Party decide to sever military ties with Israel. Barak, who has a moderate approach in the Israeli government, had come to Turkey on Jan. 17 following the diplomatic row between the Turkish and Israeli governments over a farcical drama over the Turkish ambassador’s seat, and his visit was effective in softening ties between the two countries. However, after details emerging following the operation showed that Barak gave the order for the raid, the Turkish government changed its stance even though the defense ministers from both countries had announced following the flotilla crisis that the 16 military agreements between them would not be cancelled.
By: Brant
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