Turkey Says Israel Not Welcome At NATO Summit

[Purveyor]

Reuters – 5 hrs ago

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey has refused to allow Israel to take part in a NATO summit next month because the Jewish state has not apologized for the 2010 killing of Turkish activists in a raid on a ship taking aid to Palestinians, a Turkish official said on Monday.

Relations between the regional powers deteriorated sharply after Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara aid vessel in May 2010 to enforce a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and killed nine Turks in clashes with activists.

Last September, Turkey expelled Israel's envoy and froze military cooperation after a U.N. report on the raid failed to prompt an apology from Israel.

"We did not give our consent on that issue," a Turkish official told Reuters when asked if Turkey was blocking Israel's participation in a NATO summit in Chicago on May 20-21.

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http://news.yahoo.com/turkey-says-israel-not-welcome-nato-summit-122157948.html

[Puregonzo1188]

1. Given that attacked a ship flying a flag of a NATO country in international waters, killing several

Turkish and an American citizen, I can't imagine why they would be.

Of course, if NATO was some sort of defensive alliance, they already would have taken action against this attack on one of their members.

Too bad NATO is only for aggression though.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

2. After their invasion of Cyprus, I have to wonder why Turkey is not an international pariah

Quite a bit bigger deal than boarding a declared blockade runner

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

3. Did Turkey apologize for the Armenian Genocide?

Those who live in glass houses shouldn't cast asparagus.

Besides, the summit is in Chicago, not Istanbul.