Offensive Ayalon
Danny Ayalon, Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister, found a very easy to way to humiliate the ambassador of Turkey, which is Israel’s only ally in the Middle East, by:
… [making] clear that the ambassador was seated on a low sofa, while the Israeli officials were in much higher chairs … “there is only one flag here” and “we are not smiling”.
And over what issue? A “television series” that “depicts Israeli intelligence agents as baby-snatchers.”
Ayalon claims:
In terms of the diplomatic tactics available, this was the minimum that was warranted given the repeated provocation by political and other players in Turkey
Is this really good diplomacy towards your ally? Turkey was the first Muslim country to recognize Israel way back in 1949. The two have been close strategic allies over the past 60 years and have conducted joint military exercises, counter-terrorism missions and much more.
Israel has apologized to Turkey for its behavior. But, you can’t expect to kill your friend and then apologize for using a real knife.
