16 January 2010 / ,
Disputes between Turkey and Israel must be resolved courteously, or they could inflame anti-Semitism, Turkey’s main Jewish group said Thursday.
“There might be ups and downs in relations between the two countries, there may be mutual anger, but all these have to be settled in a diplomatic way and in line with rules of courtesy,” said Silvyo Ovadya, president of Musevi Cemaati, or Jewish Community. On Wednesday, Israel complied with Turkey’s demand to apologize for its treatment of Turkish Ambassador Oğuz Çelikkol. Two days earlier, Israel’s deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, summoned Çelikkol to complain about “The Valley of the Wolves,” a Turkish television drama that shows Israeli security forces kidnapping children and shooting old men. During the meeting, Ayalon forced Çelikkol to sit on a low sofa without a handshake and explained to cameramen that the humiliation was intentional. The incident further strained the complex relations between Israel and Turkey, its closest Muslim ally.
