A Turkish newspaper reported on Wednesday that Turkey would halt military cooperation with Israel and would not send back an envoy, withdrawn after an Israeli commando operation to stop an aid convoy reaching Gaza.
The Turkish government has said it is working on a road map for future ties with once close ally Israel, following the May 31 operation in which nine pro-Palestinian Turkish activists were killed.
The Star newspaper’s report of decisions taken at a Cabinet meeting this week was based on unnamed sources. An aide to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan declined to comment on the report.
The newspaper said the Turkish government had decided against sending back its ambassador to Tel Aviv unless Israel provides a member for a UN investigation into the incident.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has proposed a full international inquiry. Israel says it is conducting its own investigation, whose panel will include two foreign observers.
“We took a series of decisions covering military, diplomatic and political pressure and measures,” the Star quoted the sources as saying.
It also reported that military deals were to be frozen. Military cooperation, including joint exercises and pilot training, would also be halted, as would intelligence sharing, the Star said.
It said the sanctions against Israel would be introduced gradually.
Turkey wants the United Nations to control an inquiry into the events that led to the killing of the activists aboard the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara, while it was in international waters.
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Israeli police, Jews clash over construction at graves site
Jaffa (Israel) : At least 15 people were wounded as the Israeli police clashed on Wednesday with hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews protesting construction at a site they say contains Jewish graves.
Baton-wielding police, charged the protesters to disperse them, wounding 10 of the demonstrators, according to a photographer. The protesters hurled bottles and stones at the police, lightly wounding five officers, said the police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. He said he had no details on how many protesters were wounded.
—AFP