The Mavi Marmara
Photo: AFP
Report: Turkey defers naming new ambassador to Israel
Ankara's Hurriyet Daily says intended ambassador to Israel was reassigned to Vienna
Ankara diplomats say Turkey has decided to reassign Kerim Uras – its intended ambassador to Israel – to Austria.
According to a Monday report in the Turkish daily Hurriyet, Uras, who was supposed to arrive in Tel Aviv in a matter of weeks, will head to Vienna instead, in what may signal that Turkey does not intend to resume full diplomatic relations with Israel at this time.
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The newspaper hedged that Israel is likely to respond with a similar move and suspend the nomination of a new ambassador to Ankara, after current Israeli Ambassador to Turkey Gabby Levy's term come to its end, later this year.
The Hurriyet further said that the United States was trying to stop further deterioration in the relations between its two regional allies.
Washington, said the paper, has two major concerns at this time: The first – a possible Turkish retaliation against Israel, which could be announced on the nearing anniversary of the Marmara's raid; and the second - a second flotilla.
The US is reportedly applying diplomatic pressure on Turkey to stop the flotilla, saying in "needs to embrace a more common-sense policy."
The message sent both to Ankara and Jerusalem was that more martyrs will help nothing but create more instability and pains, Hurriyet said.
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