Rally for aid ship reveals nature of Turkey-Israel ties

NPR- The crowd roared as the names of the nine dead men were read out, and activists — including an Israeli-born Swede — called on the international community to remember the people of Gaza. Israel has eased some overland restrictions on Gaza recently, but a visit by NPR earlier this month found that the improvements had barely dented the massive poverty gripping the tiny, overcrowded strip.

...Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said over the weekend that Turkey still intends to have peaceful relations with Israel.

But 69-year-old Mustafa Ogut voiced the more popular view here when he said he would never forgive his government if it dropped its demand for an apology from Israel.

"No, I don't think ties should be normalized," he said. "Israel definitely needs to apologize, to Turkey and to the Muslim world, and that's why we are united. We are one fist together."

...Relations Hardening

In Israel, hard-line Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was only too pleased to respond in kind. In a speech criticized at home and abroad, Lieberman called the Turkish foreign minister and prime minister "liars" and said Turkey should be the one to apologize.

Such comments suggest it may be a chilly winter of enmity for two countries that long enjoyed relatively good relations. And come spring, the owners of the Mavi Marmara say the ship will make another voyage to Gaza to mark the one-year anniversary of the May 31 fatalities. Read more