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Last update - 22:40 08/09/2009
Israel to Turkey FM: If you want to visit Gaza, don't come here
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Egypt, Israel News, Turkey 

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's planned visit to Israel has been left in doubt after Jerusalem warned that he would not be allowed to enter the Gaza Strip from Israeli territory.

Davutoglu had been invited to take part in the Presidents' Conference, which is scheduled to take place in a few weeks in Jerusalem.

However, the recent warning and the tense relations between Israel and Turkey since Operation Cast Lead make it now unclear whether Davutoglu will make the trip.
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Israeli officials' principal fear in regard to the visit is that if Davutoglu goes to Gaza, it will become a festive event for Hamas and it will become a media circus with the Turkish FM staying amidst the rubble of buildings destroyed by the IDF during Cast Lead. Officials suspect Davutoglu would also be encouraged to make anti-Israel statements.

Israel-Turkey relations have been tense since Cast Lead, especially in light of a televised fracasbetween President Shimon Peres and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Davos Conference this past January.

Turkey adopted a critical stance on Israel and Erdogan maintained that Israel was carrying out genocide in the Gaza Strip. Since then, the two states have maintained diplomatic and military contacts but have not had any meetings between high-level officials.

Davutoglu was appointed foreign minister only recently, and has sought a role in future peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

A senior Israeli official said that over a month ago the head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry contacted his Israeli counterpart Yossi Gal, and offered to arrange a visit by the Turkish foreign minister to Israel.

The Turkish official asked Gal about the possibility of a visit to Gaza and Gal told him that he would be welcomed warmly in Israel but that a visit to the Gaza Strip would "not be helpful".

A few weeks later, Turkish offices again tried to bring up the issue of a visit to Gaza and Turkey's Ambassador to Israel Namik Tan met with Gal and told him that Davutoglu received an invite to the Presidents' Conference in October and was weighing whether to attend. The Turkish ambassador asked if a trip to Gaza during that time would be possible.

The decision was later made in the Foreign Ministry that if the Turkish foreign minister's trip to Israel were to include a visit to the Gaza Strip, the request would have to be refused.

A top Israel official said "Turkish leadership during Operation Cast Lead did not encourage us to agree to this request."

Gal told the Turkish ambassador that "there are other places in the world from where it's possible to enter the Gaza Strip."

In the statement, Gal was implying that Egypt would be a possible point of entry to the Strip, but Israeli sources have said the Egyptian would not be inclined to allow the Turkish foreign minister to enter Gaza from their territory
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  1.   No Access 22:45  |  MR C 08/09/09
  2.   Israeli Chutzpah 23:07  |  Les Lyshkov 08/09/09
  3.   Let him go to Cyprus and sail there on the SS George Galloway 23:16  |  Alan-SA 08/09/09
  4.   Any Isr-Syr deal must be based on Hatay model, not Sinai model 23:20  |  Joseph 08/09/09
  5.   If Israel want to visit Curdish when go to Turkey?? 23:24  |  ROSENVALD 08/09/09
  6.   Way to go, first Sweden, now Turkey! 23:31  |  Manny Goldstein 08/09/09
  7.   I stand with israel 23:53  |  Yakoov 08/09/09
  8.   sure he can enter Gaza. and the Israeli ambassador enter Armenia 23:58  |  IW 08/09/09
  9.   Winning friends and influencing people 00:23  |  Colin Wright 09/09/09
  10.   Wow: Operation Cast Lead Lives On 00:59  |  Stephen 09/09/09
  11.   Wake up, Swiss Dino. It`s Israel-bashing time. 01:41  |  flyingdoc57 09/09/09
  12.   Holding a whole people in a prison 01:52  |  Paul 09/09/09
  13.   Bravo, Liebermann 01:57  |  Gentile 09/09/09
  14.   Turkey the great defender of human rights 02:03  |  Yosef 09/09/09
  15.   Let`s face it ... 02:15  |  Jasper 09/09/09
  16.   why so afraid israel? 02:37  |  VIPER 09/09/09
  17.   #2 Paul 05:58  |  Louis Fried 09/09/09
  18.   At least the government is consistent 06:08  |  Mark Lincoln 09/09/09
  19.   Turkish troublemakers 06:55  |  US CITIZEN 09/09/09
  20.   Hamas is glorified in Turkey 07:55  |  B. Gold 09/09/09
  21.   I don`t get it. 07:57  |  American 09/09/09
  22.   To Paul from Amsterdam 08:15  |  Philip 09/09/09
  23.   Sounds like an order straigh from the mouth of Lieberman... 08:16  |  Esther 09/09/09
  24.   An advice... 08:17  |  American 09/09/09
  25.   Israel needs more Liebermans.... 21:54  |  Malone 09/09/09
  26.   to Philip from Afula 19:39  |  al 11/10/09
  27.   MR C Where are you living 20:02  |  Aby 11/10/09
  28.   RE: Turkish troublemakers 16:24  |  mehmet. 14/10/09
  29.   re:mehmet, turkish trouble makers 23:00  |  sikiyatis 18/10/09
  30.   Israeli Land 03:20  |  Burk 20/10/09
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