ZURICH– In an effort to mend the fraying relations with one of its friendliest neighbors, Israel has sent Industry, Trade, and Labor Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer to meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Zurich. Following the deaths of nine Turks in the botched flotilla raid that brought Israel so much unwanted attention over the past couple months, Turkey withdrew its ambassador from Israel and demanded that Israel apologize and pay compensation to the families of the nine dead crewmembers of the Mavi Marmara.
“It was the obvious move to make,” an anonymous aide to Prime Minister Netanyahu told ICTPT reporters. “We can’t afford to lose what allies we have.” Ben-Eliezer, a member of the Labor party, had expressed this same view and so was chosen to meet with the Turkish Foreign Minister.
So it came as a surprise to no one when Israeli Foreign Minister Lieberman started whining about having been left out.
“Of course I couldn’t send Lieberman,” Netanyahu told reporters. “We needed someone who could be civil, who wouldn’t feel the need to bring at least five tanks, and someone who isn’t a giant douchebag. Lieberman fits none of those descriptions.”
The Israeli Foreign Minister’s office expressed concern that this move by the Prime Minister had dealt “a heavy blow to the confidence between the Foreign Minister and the Prime Minister,” leading many to wonder if the Foreign Minister knew the effects of every single word that has escaped his lips since he was appointed Foreign Minister.
The Prime Minister’s office responded, stating that “The Prime Minister saw no reason why the meeting should not be held, since over the last few weeks there were a number of initiatives for contacts with the Turks which the Foreign Ministry knew about. So quit whining.”
“Usually he does things like this for attention,” an aide to the Foreign Minister told reporters.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=180031
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/world/middleeast/01mideast.html?ref=middleeast
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/lieberman-slams-netanyahu-over-government-s-secret-meeting-with-turkey-1.299245
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-ml-israel-turkey,0,3384218.story
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