Israeli actions sour ties with Turkey

Turkey's ties with Israel have been strained by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's fierce criticism of the Jewish state's use of force against Palestinians. The blunt conduct of Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon, has further soured its relationship with Turkey.

On Monday, Ayalon summoned the country's Ambassador to criticize a Turkish TV drama depicting Israeli forces as brutal child kidnappers. Ayalon also invited media crews to the meeting, and pointed out that there was no Turkish flag on the table. The Deputy Foreign Minister said he was deliberately avoiding a handshake with the Ambassador as well. He later told cameramen the Ambassador was pointedly seated on a sofa lower than his own chair. This latest exchange comes on the eve of a visit to Turkey by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Turkey calls Ayalon's actions a discourteous treatment of its ambassador, and is demanding an apology from Israel.

Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkish Foreign Minister, said, "We are expecting for the Israeli foreign ministry to take all necessary steps. Our attitude is clear. It is our obvious right to expect proper observance of diplomatic rules. It is against the current ethics of international relations to behave with set-ups counter to those diplomatic rules. It's impossible to have any dialogue in this framework."

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon poses for a picture  in Jerusalem in 2009. Israel slammed Turkey on Monday for the  broadcast of a television series that portrays Israeli agents  as baby-snatchers, further ratcheting up tensions between the  longtime allies. (AFP/File/Daniel Bar-On)