A Turquia está virando de lado?

Turkey's foreign policy

Is Turkey turning?

Turkey is rethinking its place in the world

Jun 10th 2010 | ANKARA

AT THE end of December 2008 Israel unleashed “Operation Cast Lead”, its bombing campaign against Gaza. Its aim was to counter rocket attacks on Israel by Hamas, which controls Gaza. Three weeks later some 1,400 Palestinians had died. “I personally warned Ehud Barak [Israel’s defence minister] that we would react very seriously if Israel did anything in Gaza,” recalls Ali Babacan, then Turkish foreign minister and now deputy prime minister.

The Gaza war proved to be a turning point in Turkey’s relations with Israel. A day before Israel attacked, Turkish intermediaries felt they were on the verge of clinching a peace deal between Israel and Syria. “The Israelis misled us,” fumes a Turkish diplomat. Turkey’s fury became public soon afterwards, when Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister, stormed off a panel he was sharing with the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, at the Davos World Economic Forum. “You Israelis know how to kill,” he shouted.

In Turkish eyes Israel proved Mr Erdogan right on May 31st when its commandos raided the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship leading a civilian flotilla trying to carry aid to Gaza past Israel’s blockade. Nine Turks were killed in the attack. Israel claims it acted in self-defence. It also accuses the organiser of the flotilla, a Turkish charity known as IHH, of being a front for global jihadists. Turkey denies this and has called for a public apology from Israel and a UN-led investigation. Unless Israel agrees, the Turks may sever diplomatic ties altogether.
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Read more here/Leia mais aqui: The Economist

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