This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/10505386.stm
The article has changed 10 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 2 | Version 3 |
---|---|
Turks threaten break with Israel | Turks threaten break with Israel |
(40 minutes later) | |
There were large-scale Turkish protests against Israel's naval raid | There were large-scale Turkish protests against Israel's naval raid |
Turkey has for the first time threatened to break diplomatic ties with Israel over its raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May. | |
Turkey's foreign minister said a break could only be averted if Israel either apologised or accepted the outcome of an international inquiry into the raid. | |
The Israeli government said it had nothing to apologise for. | |
Ankara curtailed diplomatic relations with Israel after the naval raid, in which nine Turks were killed. | Ankara curtailed diplomatic relations with Israel after the naval raid, in which nine Turks were killed. |
Aid space ban | Aid space ban |
Turkey - which until recently was Israel's most important Muslim ally - withdrew its ambassador and demanded that the Israelis issue an apology, agree to a United Nations inquiry and compensate the victims' families. | |
However, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey would be satisfied with the ongoing Israeli inquiry if that found Israel to be at fault. | |
Mr Davutoglu told Hurriyet newspaper: "[The Israelis] will either apologise or acknowledge an international, impartial inquiry and its conclusion. Otherwise, our diplomatic ties will be cut off." | |
He also said there was now a blanket ban in place on all Israeli military aircraft using Turkish airspace, not just on a case-by-case basis. | |
The BBC's Jonathan Head in Istanbul says that Turkey appears to be hardening its stance towards Israel, just five days after a surprise meeting between Mr Davutoglu and Israeli Trade Minister Benjamin Ben Eliezer in Switzerland. | |
Reacting to the Turkish statement, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told AFP news agency: "When you want want an apology, you don't use threats or ultimatums." | |
Israel says its commandos acted in self-defence after being attacked by activists wielding clubs and knives as the troops boarded one of the aid convoy ships. | |
The vessel was part of a flotilla trying to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip. | |
Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent the supply of arms to Islamist group Hamas, which controls the territory. |