A meeting between the Israeli ambassador and consul general to Turkey and the rector of Istanbul University was called off after the latter was enraged when the two arrived at his office accompanied by security guards. The report was confirmed by the Foreign Ministry.
According to reports in Turkish and Arab media, Ambassador Gaby Levy and Consul General Mordechai Amichai arrived at the rector's office for a scheduled meeting along with security guards.
The rector was furious at the sight of the guards and asked them to leave. When the guards agreed only to stand back a bit and not leave the place altogether, the rector asked to end the meeting, and it was canceled.
This is the second awkward diplomatic incident involving Israeli officials in one week, as last Tuesday President Shimon Peres was interrupted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators and called a "war criminal" during his speech at Oxford University.
A propaganda leaflet, titled "Peres is a war criminal", was handed out outside the hall. The leaflet read, "In the past 60 years he contributed to and was responsible for Israeli terror and the ongoing occupation."
One of the protesters shouted at Peres, "I am here on behalf of a million and a half residents of Gaza who are being bombed by Israel every day. I am here in the name of 11,000 Palestinian prisoners. I am here in the name of the 800,000 refugees expelled. War criminal, you should be ashamed of yourself."
The president, who remained composed and kept his restraint, responded to one of the protestors by saying, "We have the right to stay alive. We don't need your permission."