The ministry’s report comes weeks after Israel’s deputy foreign minister enraged Turkey by summoning Ankara’s ambassador for a humiliating public reprimand. It says the reprimand made it clear to Turkey that there must be a limit to its criticism. Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon summoned Ambassador Oğuz Çelikkol to protest a Turkish TV show depicting Israeli agents as cruel and refused to shake his hand while forcing him to sit on a low sofa. Israel was forced to apologize after Turkey threatened to summon its ambassador home.
The new report concluded that Turkey viewed the incident as a “severe blow” to its pride, -- but added that Erdoğan had gone overboard in his repeated criticism of Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians: “The way the crisis was handled by top Turkish officials, including Erdogan, could indicate that Turkey understands that they have crossed a red line and the outer limits of the Israeli government’s patience.” Excerpts of the report were published in the Haaretz daily and confirmed by an Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
On Jan. 17, following his talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül, Barak had dismissed allegations that anti-Semitism is on the rise in Turkey and downplayed the criticism of Erdoğan.
