17/01/2010 Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak met Turkey's foreign minister on Sunday to try to repair ties that have been further strained this week by a diplomatic row in which Israel was forced to apologize for its treatment of the Turkish ambassador.
Barak is the first Israeli official to visit Turkey since the diplomatic feud that erupted Monday after Israel's deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, summoned Turkish Ambassador Ahmet Oguz Celikkol to complain about a TV show seen as promoting “anti-Israel sentiments”.
The Turkish ambassador was forced to sit on a low sofa without a handshake, while Ayalon explained to local TV stations that the humiliation was intentional. Outraged, Turkey threatened to recall the ambassador, forcing Ayalon to apologize.
Barak, who arrived in Turkey on Sunday was also scheduled to meet his Turkish counterpart Vecdi Gonul.
Barak went through with this official visit despite a petition last week by an Islamic human rights group calling on a Turkish state prosecutor to launch legal proceedings against him for crimes against Gazans during Israel’s Gaza War.
Mazlum-Der group released a statement saying, "Israel is committing crimes against humanity and genocide by occupying Palestine. Their disregard for international law in front of the eyes of world public opinion is known very well."
Ayalon delivered the rebuke to Celikkol because of an anti-Israeli television show in Turkey. Ayalon has since formally apologized to the ambassador.
The visit was scheduled before the row, but is being closely watched for efforts to control the damage to the relationship that has also been hurt by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's frequent outbursts of fury over Israel's aggressive treatment of Palestinians.
Hours before Barak's departure, Ayalon said the Turkish ambassador could be expelled if Turkish TV dramas continue to depict Israeli security forces as brutal.
On Sunday, Barak’s first stop was at the mausoleum of modern and secular Turkey's founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Barak was expected to discuss the $190 million deal for the Israeli drone Heron, which was signed several years ago, but which has been held up due to a malfunction in a camera system manufactured for the drones by a Turkish subcontractor.
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