Deputy FM Ayalon apologizes to Turkish ambassador

Israeli foreign policy in front of Turkish ambassador: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUD1hAaKcM4 This is ridiculous and childish.

I am a muslim turkish citizen. You can see my email is also elnoraalila@hotmail.com. I am not the only one in our community that has a positive approach to jews world. In the streets (which means real life and community) of Turkey, there's no anti-semitist voice from the public. Maybe we are little bit sensitive when we see people dying in Gaza due to our religious connections. But we do have the same sadness when Hamas misiles Israel lands. I also think it was a humiliation for our ambassador. But both crisis (Davos and Ayalon) connected to politics who mind about their individual benefits. Both nations must look back at history and must calm down and look positively. We are friends. We will be. So, greetings to our Jewish frinds from our side ouf the world. Kerem

The Turkish PM has gone too far with his blind hatred of Israel and he deserves all condemnations and accusations. Nevertheless, the humiliation of the Turkish ambassador was very embarrassing and as an Israeli, I was very ashamed of my foreign ministry conduct.

As a Turkish-Jew from Izmir there is an LA based armenian hate internet group constantly gets in to this sites under the jewish and Turkish names and make infelemantory remarks, and some of the Jewish haters like hazbollah and hamas is here too, you know hwy if this friendship breaks off they are the only ones will gain that is why they paly us against eachother, so l say to Jews and Turks when our leaders act like a child we have to be the adults, Erdogan and Liberman are two of a kind arrogant idiots

Ehud BARAK, do not come to Turkey , the only thing we do not want to see now Israeli messy politicians.. go and have a coffee with Ayalon and Leibermann!!!!

In spite of all this issues. I like Jews people. Turks are your friends...

Indeed, the Turkish ambassador should have been summoned and get Israel's harsh protest regarding Turkey's unfounded slanders leveled at Israel again and again. However, the humiliating ceremony of the Turkish ambassador, was outrageous and totally redundant. Ayalon should be dismissed, since he is not suitable to hold such a high position. He is causing only damage to Israel.

But what about the anti-Israeli rhetoric lately. Isn't the FM of Turkey at hand to be responsible for his government

I knew Ayalon would back down and start graveling. Graveling is all Israel's leaders know how to do. Pathetic.

Welcome to the Idi Amin Dada school of diplomacy.

....not only for Israel, but for the Jewish people in general, since Israeli is THE representative of the Jewish people in this world.

Israel is such a new government that they dont know how to react even in such a simple crisis. Diplomacy is so important tool if u know how to use it. Otherwise you may put yourself in such a funny position. I read in CNN.com that turkish foreign ministry called israeli ambossador and warned him in a serious diplomatic way -not acting like 5 yrs old child. Therefore from my perspective Turkey won this little soccer game 2-0.

busha !!!

Turkey shows disparaging images of the IDF and makes anti-Israeli and anti-semetic statements, even to President Peres. Israel should recall her ambasador and freeze relations. These Turks are not allies of Israel anymore, if they ever really were.

Its the Moldovian nightclub bouncer turned settler way. A serf in the Kings clothes. This guy was , Im sure educated for this particular job. He should have known better than to go along with this guys idea of diplomacy.

Never mind. They're already here.

It does seem that it might have some deliberate devious design behind it. It is hard to imagine a "real" country would have a senior foreign ministry person like that. In a primitive country that would be the norm. But maybe Israel has put all its 'best people' to designing new kind of bullets, and the foreign ministry is left to hire anyone who is left.

We made her governor so we would have something to laugh about in the winter. Israel should be more careful than us.

With such peripheral alliance strategy, it is beneath Ben Gurion's dignity to show his disgust by turning in his grave.

I spent several years dealing with Turks and know they are a proud people who don't take well to provocations. Look at what they did to the Greeks in Cyprus in 1974. At the same time, Israel has real grievances at Turkish behavior and anti-Jewish insults. But getting down to that level is not the way to deal with the issue, because it quickly enables the Turks to focus on "Israel's insults to our Ambassador." You want to keep your own morality high and not allow the focus to be shifted through your own ill-considered reactions. Israel exists in an increasingly hostile world where its legitimacy and existence are constantly under challenge, but it has to find more productive ways of dealing with these situations. Likewise, the Bodstrom story about body parts was a horrible canard approved by a Communist editor, but trying to get the Swedish FM to repudiate it was so much knocking one's head against the wall.

Israels inability to handle opposition without going ballistic is well known. Paranoia come to mind. Paranoids don't make very good friends and have trouble keeping the ones they do have.

Deputy FM Ayalon - BRAVO !!

The whole thing was planned in advance - first the "insult", and then apology. It is calculated move to show the Turks that Israel is not about to suck up to Turkey, while it's insulting Israel.

I am an American Turkish Jew and appalled how amateurish Israel's foreign policy has become! Lose Turkey's support and watch how Israel's very existence becomes an issue. Israel is not a super power and will never be one. So it is about time to remove fools from the government before they become a liability to Israeli people.

Those deluded about the Turks favorable treatment of Jews should read Aaron Aaronsohn's diaries, especially his description of the cruel forced evacuation of the entire population of Tel Aviv during oppressive Ottoman rule of Palestine. See Ronald Florences's recent book: Lawrence and Aaronsohn. Aaron's sister, Sarah Aaronsohn, witnessed and documented the devastation of Armenia on her way back to Palestine from Turkey warning the Jews of a similar fate. Hence, the NILI's cooperation with British intelligence leading General Allenby to attack across the Jordan rather than attempt an invasion through the Turkish stronghold in Gaza.

People, please, don't be so that naive :) This incident, the insult with consequent apology, these two events were most probably planned. Do you people think that Ayalon did not expect that he would have to apologize ? Of course he knew he would have to apologize. But the purpose of the whole thing was to deliver a point to Turkish, the point being that Israel is not afraid of Turkey, and that if needed, Israel can be quite nasty. It just could be that Turkey got the message. That is all. Apology is a formality, the important thing that Israel showed that it isn't ready suck up to Turkish insults any longer.

Israel is no Alaska. You guys made her Governor of the state and you have the temerity to talk???

I frankly think that both sides are acting childishly about this. The only serious wrong is that of Turkey and Erdogan making very serious, unjusitified and unhelpful accusations about Israel. This was a fit of pique by Ayalon and that is not what one does. Having said that, the smear of Turkey is well deserved. Its behaviour is far more dangerous, far more serious and has real consequences by encouraging terrorism. Israel and the Turkish ambassador are acting like babies and Erdogan is acting like a mad, evil, completely unhinged and unbalanced person.

remains ever popular in the Arab world and has now begun to spread its ugly face across Europe with outrageous blood libels, such as those recently published in the Sweedish press. The hostile statements emanating from the European Union or the United Nations attempt to deprive us of our right to defend ourselves from terrorist assault with the threat of sanction and boycott. It is high time our politicians defend our people and not try to win a popularity contest among those who consider the land of Israel "occupied Arab territory" and the murder of our people a "legitimate act of resistance".

Ayalon's apology is phony. And Bibi and Lieberman knew what the set up was, and it would not be surprising if it had been approved by them. "...the prime minister [gave] his foreign minister his full backing." What does that tell you? Israeli society in general and its governments in particular are sick and maybe even beyond control. Israel needs adult supervision, and it needs it now before it's too late.

Danny Ayalon goes out of his way to humiliate someone, and when they stand up to his bully-boy tactics he displays all the attributes of a gutless wonder. Danny Ayalon, I hereby proclaim you as the inaugural winner of the Sir Harry Paget Flashman(VC KCB KCIE) award for excellence in the combined pursuit of cowardice and statescraft. *chortle* Danny must be really pissed off with the Moldovan right about now. I wonder if Lieberman has even noticed?

That was amateurish...every one could see the way it was arranged and he did not have to explain it. His second mistake was to apologize. What a bunch of clowns...what happened to Israeli spine? Over the past quarter century the military has let the population down by not protecting them and the diplomats turned the other cheek when Israel was attacked. Goofballs.

So a deputy foreign minister has proven, beyond any doubt, that he is not up to his job. What happens to a person that absolutely cannot handle a job? Israel is so confusing... Does he get promoted now?

must remain civilized.

Let's all admit the whole chair, flag and pointing it out in Hebrew was childish, it isn't what is expected of statesman. Ayalon is correct for sticking up for his country that I agree with, but the means and yes the Turkish ambassador is correct in being purposfully humiliated. However if that is the worst humiliation you have ever felt than I think I am jealous, please, high school, puberty, first dates surely at least the majority of us canrecall a more humiliating story.

What the hell is going on over there ? It sounds like the inmates have taken over the prison. Israel needs to be on a suicide watch...get agrip.

If one follow this logic,than we have to apologize to the iranians too, even when they wants to wipe out Israel.

for regional stability . When Erdogan islamist gov't incite against Israel , it shows that the political doctrine of the 'religion of peace' is based on hatred , falsehood , intolerance , racism ...

When will the turks apologize for the anti-Israeli television show in Turkey and the countles threat and libels against Israel and the israely people from the turkish media and their politicians.

True Ayalon's behavior was childish. Making the Turkish Ambassador sit in lower position and have the cameras rolling was amazingly silly and stupid. Still, it is insignificant compared to Turkey's repeated blood libels against Israelis/Jews, painting them as ruthless child murderers, organ snatchers, etc. Turkey is just trying to exacerbate the high level of anti-semitism that already exists in the Muslim world, and everyone knows it.

I believe Turkey is way out of line and should be apologizing to Israel. The Turkish TV shows are out of line. The Turkish Prime Minister one sided view of the Gaza situation is out of line. Turkey is going down the wrong path.

Had there been any adult supervision of the guys running Israel, Netanyahu, Barak and Lieberman, this apology would not have been necessary. Israel has the government it wants. Netanyahu, Barak and Lieberman rule. And the nation has to keep suffering for their behavior.

I was so hoping you'd stand firm...

This kind of behavior defies logic ,specially in diplomatic level. I think ayalon and lieberman will cause more damage to israel in the future sa long as they stay in government it is in israel's best interest to remove these individuals from their positions ASAP!

Ayalon, lieberman and the rest of the stooges should simply crawl back to where they came from. OOps I almost forgot the PM too. I simply can't understand how the israelis public tolerate such mis-leaders. I think less of people who do nothing with misleaders like those.

jpoin the real world

As a 63 year- old American Jew, I have never seen a more disgraceful show of arrogance and counterproductive stupidity as that of Deputy FM Ayalon. He should be unceremoniously sacked at once and never serve in another government! If this kind of behavior is all that Israel can muster in 61 years, I fear for its future. As serious as external threats such as Iran are, the kind of blind arrogance and ignorance displayed by Ayalon and his like-minded (moronic) counterparts are the greater existential threat to the Jewish State.

Israelis have earned a well-deserved reputation for bad behavior when they are traveling. One would expect that their politicians have outgrown their teenage-oriented attitude. That is clearly not so in Ayalon's case.

"However, it is not my way to insult foreign ambassadors and in the future I will clarify my position by more acceptable diplomatic means." I doubt that he and his boss will get too many chances to prove that statement right, who is supposed to invite them after that Muppet Show?

A bunch of schmucks with lots of money and support from jewish lobby in the US, run around with their big guns threatening everybody and insulting everyone, and bullying their arab populations and deny them basic rights. Israel has definitely been squandering all the sympathy it once had.

Not only are the Ministers corrupt, but now they are total idiots.

Same as it ever was.

His treatment of the Turkish ambassador although justified by the bad behavior of the Turkish leadership - especially PM Erdogan - was wrong. At least he show the greatness of apologizing. Israel still did not receive any apolog for the unfairly harsh, untrue, uncalled for and totally against diplomatic customs word of PM Erdogan at Davos and most recently during his meeting with Mr. Hariri in Turkey. This is the difference between KASIMPASA diplomacy and the diplomacy learned at Tel Aviv and Bowling Green Universities. Since one year seasoned Turkish diplomats such as Ilter Turkmen had criticized the misbehavior of PM Erdogan predicting such an incident could happen and it would not be good for both parties. But the PM from Kasimpasa mocks those valuable Turkish diplomats as MONSERLER.

u.s. still has solving problem capability.

I was on the fence on this one. I thought the whole affair was amaturish but the end justified the means. Now forget it. By apologizing Ayalon and Lieberman look foolish and out of their league. Edrogan is outrageous but he doesn't apologize and doesn't suffer for it. He is a scumbag but he is professional.

Ayalon and Liberman are unporofessional. Looks like Netanyahu forced this apology out of Ayalon. But both of these guys should be removed from the government by Bibi for Israel's own good.

Games with the diplomatic chairs and photo ops is not new; look at the photo of Clinton and that midget leader from N. Korea; Clinton's chair is moved back and his hands in his crotch and shoulders slumped in so that he's smaller and they look the same size - look at the pattern in the rug to see he's moved back several inches to change the relative size; Clinton is sitting back in the chair, the midget is sitting at the front of the chair, but in another, wide-angle shot, a tall American diplomat is behind the midget making him look even smaller! The bruhaha made the point; insult for insult and no insult to Israel will be ignored. give the ambasador a ham sandwich and a glass of wine next time while he waits, please.