The row that took place recently between Israel and Turkey when the
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon undiplomatically “rebuked”
the Turkish ambassador to Israel during a humiliating encounter over a
Turkish television programme critical of Israel reminds me of the
saying, “The [black Israeli] pot calls the [shiny Turkish] kettle
black.”
The Turkish ambassador, Ahmet Oguz Celikkol, was led to a low-level
seat in the minister’s office while the Israeli deputy foreign minister
and a colleague sat on higher chairs.
The coffee table between them had only an Israeli flag on it and his
remarks were in Hebrew, a language the ambassador does not know. The
Israeli media recorded the event and the photos were circulated
worldwide.
After a few tense days, Israel apologised for its outrageous action
only after the Ankara government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
threatened to take serious countermeasures.
Relations between Turkey and Israel took a nose dive after Israel’s
drastic assault on Gaza more than a year ago when 1,400 Palestinians
were killed including hundreds of women and children. The Gaza Strip,
often described as an open-air prison, is still under siege with no
sign that Israel and Egypt would open their borders to the impoverished
and densely populated region on the East Mediterranean.
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