Tag Archive for Israel Turkey

| December 5, 2013
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1st Israeli Gov’t Minister Enters Turkey Since 2010

 

Israeli Minister Amir Peretz flies to Turkey to attend the United Nations sponsored conference about Mediterranean marine & coastal environmental issues.

By REUTERS
 
Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz flew to Istanbul on Wednesday, becoming the first Israeli cabinet minister to visit Turkey since ties ruptured in 2010 over a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla.
Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz - Photo: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post

Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz – Photo: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters Peretz was attending a four-day UN sponsored conference about Mediterranean marine and coastal environment issues.

Confirming a report on Israel’s Channel 2 television, the official said Peretz was the highest-ranking Israeli in Turkey since ties soured after IDF commandos killed nine Turkish activists three years ago when their vessel violated an Israeli blockade on Hamas Islamist-ruled Gaza.

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Category: Israel News | Tags: , ,
| November 30, 2013
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Turkey & Iran plan on reviving trade in wake of nuclear deal

Hurriyet Daily News says Iranian and Turkish officials are to meet in near future to resume economic cooperation.

By & Reuters

 

 

The nuclear agreement signed between Iran and world powers may result in improved economic ties between the Islamic Republic and Turkey.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) shakes hands with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu after a news conference in Ankara, November 1, 2013.- Photo: Reuters

According to a report Saturday in Hurriyet Daily News, an Iranian delegation will visit Turkey “in the near future” to discuss the two countries’ trade relations, while Turkish Trade Minister Zafer Caglayan is set to travel to Tehran in mid-January. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| November 10, 2013
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Ex-MI head Amos Yadlin delayed at Heathrow by UK authorities

 

An old Turkish arrest warrant due to ‘Marmara massacre’ held up Israel’s former MI chief Yadlin an London’s Heathrow airport. 45 minutes later immigration officers granted him entry.

By Itamar Eichner

 

Military Intelligence Chief Amos Yadlin was held up for 45 minutes in London’s Heathrow International Airport, due to a standing warrant for his arrest issued by a Turkish court due to his “responsibility for the Mavi Marmara incident,” referring to the IDF takeover of the 2010 Gaza flotilla, in which nine Turkish nationals were killed.

Amos Yadlin - Photo courtesy שבתרבות

Amos Yadlin – Photo courtesy שבתרבות

 

After the airport’s immigration officers made inquiries with the British Foreign Office, they let Yadlin enter the country to continue his visit as planned. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , ,
| November 9, 2013
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Jews are fleeing Turkey to escape anti-Semitism

 

A tense, negative atmosphere with fear for personal safety are prompting many young Turkish Jews to emigrate, mainly to U.S. & European countries – but also to Israel.

‘The Muslims stopped distinguish between Israel & the local Jews. As far as they are concerned, if you’re Jewish you’re not a Turk,’ one young emigrants reports.

By Tali Farkash

Young Jews are emigrating from Turkey in masses, mainly to the United States and different European countries, due to growing anti-Semitism and the negative attitude in the country towards Israel.

Anti-Israel protest in Turkey – Photo: Reuters

Members of the local Jewish community are keeping mum over the situation, but off the record some of them describe an explosive situation which may erupt at any moment following careless statements. Continue Reading »

Category: Jewish News | Tags: , ,
| November 3, 2013
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Turkey After Israeli Natural gas, but Politics in the Way

 

Proposed future natural gas pipeline project between Israel-Turkey has estimated value at $3.5 billion.

By Reuters

 

 

Turkey’s Zorlu Energy is in talks with Israeli firms over the potential for a pipeline to carry Israeli natural gas to Turkey, industry sources say, but the political rift between the two former allies is holding up progress.

leviathan - Albatross - May 30 2011

The drilling rig at the Leviathan offshore natural gas field. – Photo: Albatross

Israel could become a gas exporter by the end of the decade after the discovery of two major offshore fields off its Mediterranean coast – Leviathan and Tamar.

Turkey, dependent on imports for almost all of its energy, is looking to diversify away from expensive Russian gas and could become a customer as well as providing a transit route to other markets, particularly Europe. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| October 23, 2013
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Turkey’s Jewish Youth Emigrating Due to Anti-Semitism, Tensions with Israel

A leading member of the Turkish Jewish community in Israel reports to the Hurriyet Daily that too many young people back home feel targeted by the Turkish gov’t & bothered by the experience of being ‘othered.’

By

 

 

Hundreds of young Jews are leaving Turkey for the U.S. and Europe because of increased perceptions of anti-Semitism and Ankara’s tensions with Israel, a senior member of the immigrant community in Israel has told Hurriyet Daily News.

Turkey synagogue

Neve Shalom synagogue in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday July 9, 2003

Nesim Güveniş, the deputy chairman of the Association of Turkish Jews in Israel, told the newspaper that the mass exodus was a response to the actions of the Turkish government, including remarks of leaders against Jews for the waning relations between Turkey and Israel and the worsening of conditions for the nearly 15,000 Jews living in in the country. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| October 20, 2013
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Ankara Blames Israel for Report on Turkey Exposing Spies to Iran

Officials in Ankara charge Israel in trying to make Turkey look bad by leaking information about how its intelligence chief betrayed ally in exposing covert operatives to Iranian authorities.

By Elad Benari

 

Turkey is blaming Israel for a report in the Washington Post this week which said that Turkey handed over to Tehran a list of Israeli agents in Iran.

 “We see this media campaign as an attack and there might be an Israeli effort behind it,” a Turkish intelligence source said told the Turkish daily Hurriyet.

The Washington Post report was written by David Ignatius who, the Turkish newspaper noted, was the moderator at the World Economic Forum panel in Davos in 2009 when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan walked out when Israeli President Shimon Peres walked in. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags:
| October 18, 2013
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Israeli Officials: Normalization Talks With Ankara ‘Stuck’

 

While Israel refrains from making official comment on reports of Turkey’s leaking to Teheran of local anti-nuclear spy network, Israeli officials stress recent security cooperation with Turkey as ‘very limited’.

By Attila Somfalvi

The Washington Post’s report about Turkey’s disclosure to Iran of an Israeli spy network might have failed to elicit an official Israeli response, but state officials admit that security relations with Ankara are extremely limited and went as far as saying that reconciliation talks surrounding the Marmara raid are “stuck.”

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan – Photo: AFP

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan – Photo: AFP

“The Turks are destroying any attempt to reach understandings,” an Israeli official close to the talks said. Continue Reading »

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| October 17, 2013
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Erdoğan’s unprecedented act of betrayal against Israel

 

Analysis: If Ankara did blow cover of Israeli undercover-agents, it would violate universally accepted code of conduct between allied intelligence agencies.

By YOSSI MELMAN
 

 

In April 2012, Iran announced that it had uncovered a spy ring numbering 15 operatives working at the behest of Israel. Iranian authorities fingered the operatives as being responsible for the killings of nuclear scientists in recent years. Tehran had long suspected the Mossad as the mastermind of these operations. In announcing the arrests, Iran touted the apprehension of “Zionist spies” and the revelations regarding “Zionist” intelligence activity in a neighboring country.

Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan & Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu – Photo: REUTERS

The announcement, which didn’t garner much attention at the time, takes on added importance Thursday just hours after The Washington Post reported that Turkish intelligence revealed the identities of 10 Iranian spies working for Israel.

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Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| October 11, 2013
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Turkish court: IDF Commandos fired from helicopter in 2010 Marmara raid

 

Turkish trial in absentia of 4 retired Israeli commanders, including former IDF Chief of Staff Ashkenazi, resumed Thursday with testimony from those who were aboard & relatives of the dead.

By Reuters

An anti-war activist told a Turkish court on Thursday that Israeli commandos opened fire from a helicopter during a raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship three years ago, countering Israeli assertions that the soldiers had acted in self defense.

2010 Marmara raid – Photo: AP

Israeli marines stormed the Turkish owned Mavi Marmara, part of a flotilla carrying aid to Palestinians, on May 31, 2010 to enforce a naval blockade of the Palestinian-run Gaza Strip. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| October 2, 2013
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Should there be a Turkish-Israeli alliance against Assad?

 

“Al Qaeda affiliated groups (in Syria) are a great problem and becoming an even greater problem” Kocaman explained.  “…The reasonable Muslims need to come together with the Jews and the Christians. We need to show the radicals they are wrong via the Quran.”

Analysis by Rachel Avraham

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Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| September 26, 2013
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Turkish FM says ‘Israel must do more to normalize ties’

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said speaking about Israel to a news conference at the UNGA: ‘some progress’ has been made but, they have yet to fulfill all 3 conditions.

By

 

There has been “some progress” in improving Turkish-Israeli relations but Israel has not yet fulfilled all conditions for normalizing ties, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said at a news conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly Wednesday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu – Photo: AP

Relations between the former allies soured dramatically after Israeli commandos stormed the Gaza flotilla trying to breach a blockade of the Gaza Strip in May 2010. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| September 6, 2013
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Turkish Report: Ankara-Jerusalem normalization looks optimistic

 

Turkish official reports normalization talks to end diplomatic crisis are to yield results soon. ‘I do not see any political obstacle standing in the way of normalization,’ Turkish official reports.

By Ynet

A Turkish official said Thursday that Turkish-Israeli talks to end a diplomatic crisis between the two countries are on track and can be concluded at any time, Turkish newspaper Today’s Zaman reported.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan - Reuters

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan – Reuters

“This should not surprise anyone,” the official, who spoke this week on condition of anonymity, told the Turkish newspaper regarding progress in the normalization process, adding “I do not see any political obstacle standing in the way of normalization,” the official said. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags:
| August 26, 2013
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Normalization talks between Turkey & Israel reach roadblock

Gov’t sources from Jerusalem say Ankara’s insistence on calling payments to the families of the Mavi Marmara victims “punitive damages” and not “compensation” brought the negotiations to a halt.

By Shlomo Cesana

 

Government officials have signaled that Israel’s efforts to normalize its diplomatic relations with Turkey have failed.

Still not seeing eye to eye, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan – Photo: Reuters

Israel-Turkey relations soured in May 2010, when Israeli naval commandos boarded the ship Mavi Marmara to enforce Israel’s naval blockade on the Gaza Strip. The commandos were attacked by the passengers on board and the ensuing clash left nine Turkish nationals dead and several Israeli soldiers wounded. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| August 20, 2013
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Erdogan says he has ‘evidence’ Israel behind Egypt coup

 

Turkish daily quotes its PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday saying he has proof from a Jewish intellectual that the Israel gov’t was involved in the Egyptian Army’s overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood regime.

By Israel Hayom staff

 

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday accused Israel of being behind the July 3 military coup in Egypt, saying he had evidence of the Jewish state’s involvement in the overthrow of Egypt’s Islamist former President Mohammed Morsi.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan – Photo: AFP

The Turkish prime minister, an often vociferous critic of Jerusalem policies, said his evidence of the Israeli plot was a meeting between a “Jewish intellectual” and the justice minister in France, where the intellectual said the Muslim Brotherhood would lose power even if it were democratically elected.

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Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
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