ISRAEL TOLD TURKEY TO WALK AWAY FROM IRAN AND HAMAS

INTERNATIONAL NEWS (JERUSALEM)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L) welcomes Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal (R) as Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili stands in the background before a meeting in Tehran

Aiming to deflect Turkey's criticism of its war on Gaza, Israel seeks to portray Hamas and Iran as the real causes for regional concern.
After Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan hit out at Israeli President Shimon Peres over Israel's offensive against Gaza in a heated Davos debate, Tel Aviv brushed off the attack by calling on Ankara to slow down diplomatic relations with Hamas and Iran.
"It must be remembered that after Hamas took power, Turkey was the first country to invite them over, so we find ourselves both in an important relationship but also in a dispute about how to conduct ourselves regionally," Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told Israel Radio on Sunday.
"Despite the street demonstrations, despite the difficult images from Gaza. Hamas is everyone's problem. And most countries in the region, in the Middle East, have understood this more than the Turks," added Livni.
The new rift between Israel and turkey comes as earlier in July the Israeli air force used the airspace in northern Turkey to hold military drills.
The New York Times revealed that the major military exercise was a rehearsal for a potential bombing attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Israeli Ambassador to Ankara Gabby Levy acknowledged the tension in bilateral relations, adding that he was working with local authorities on restoring ties.
"There is a rift in our relations. This cannot be hidden. But these relations are very important for both countries," Levy told Israel Radio.
Source: Press TV