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Israel: Turkey called off joint air force drill
Turkey, a Muslim but secular country, had long been Israel's best friend in the Muslim world. But ties have cooled markedly over Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's sharp criticism of Israel's winter war in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military said the drill was delayed indefinitely “because of Turkey's decision to change the composition of the participants and not allow the Israeli air force to take part.”
The exercise was to have been the sixth annual maneuver of its kind. The military said it was to have included US, Italian and NATO forces.
Israeli defense officials said Ankara canceled the drill after the US pulled out over the Turkish decision to blackball Israel. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter with the media.
Israel and Turkey have wide-ranging military, economic and strategic ties, and last year Ankara hosted months of indirect talks between Israel and Syria after an eight-year breakdown.
Yet tensions peaked when Erdoğan stormed out of a high-profile conference where he confronted Israel's president over high numbers of Palestinian civilian casualties.
Palestinian officials and human rights groups say more than 900 civilians died in the offensive, which was launched to halt years of rocket fire from Gaza on southern Israel. Israel disputes that number but has provided no evidence to back up that claim.
Turkish-Israeli ties have been tested in the past by earlier Israeli attacks on Palestinians but strong security interests helped to mend fences.
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