In an apparent message to Turkey that its downgrade of ties, heated rhetoric and
threats were not intimidating Israel, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu went to
a naval base in Haifa on Wednesday and told the “officers and comrades-in-arms”
of those who stopped the Mavi Marmara that “we are proud of you. We salute
you.”
Netanyahu, speaking at a naval officers’ commencement ceremony,
said the deepening tensions with Turkey were not Israel’s choice, and “we
respect the Turkish people and its heritage, and want an improvement in
ties.
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“But with that, precisely here this evening, precisely here before
the officers and comrades-in-arms of those who a year ago prevented with their
bodies the breaking of the naval blockade of the terrorist regime in Gaza, I
want to say the truth in a loud and clear voice: The justice of our cause is the
strategic asset of the State of Israel, the strongest thing that sustains us and
gives us the strength to deal with challenges that no other country or people
have to deal with.”
It is the “justice of the cause” that fortifies the
navy when it protects the country’s coast and stops the smuggling of arms into
Gaza “to prevent the firing of missiles on our children and our cities,” he
said.
“We are proud of you. We salute you.”
Netanyahu’s comments
came shortly after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, when asked by
reporters about the economic cost to Turkey of the sanctions the country has
taken against Israel, said, “The cost could be $15 or $150 million. We, as
Turkey, would not be bothered by this. What is important for us is that we don’t
let anyone trample on our pride.”
Erdogan, who has rattled the saber by
promising to step up naval patrols in the eastern Mediterranean to ensure
freedom of maritime traffic, and who has frozen all defense contracts with
Israel, also used the opportunity to preach to Israel about business
ethics.
He accused Israel of not providing maintenance for Heron unmanned
aerial vehicles that Israel Aerospace Industries supplied to Turkey last year.
In 2005, IAI and Elbit Systems won a $183m. contract to supply 10 Heron UAVs and
associated systems to the Turkish Air Force. Deliveries were completed last
year.
“Israel is not being loyal to bilateral agreements in the defense
industry,” Turkish Today’s Zaman’s website quoted Erdogan as saying. “There
could be difficulties, problems with another country, such things may happen,
but there is an international code of ethics that needs to be upheld in business
agreements.”
Defense officials dismissed Erdogan’s accusations, with one
source familiar with the deal saying IAI recently received a delivery of a
number of engines that required regular maintenance and repairs. The official
said work on the engines was ongoing at IAI’s MALAT factory near Ben-Gurion
Airport, and they would be returned to Turkey once the work was
completed.
The engines’ presence in Israel does not affect Turkish
operations, since under the deal, the Turks bought spare engines that enable
them to continue flying the UAVs even when some of the engines are undergoing
repairs.
Meanwhile, Today’s Zaman reported Erdogan is scheduled to visit
Cairo on Monday, and from there go to Tunisia and Libya. While he has threatened
to go to Gaza through the Egyptian crossing at Rafah, the paper quoted an
Egyptian official as saying he did not expect such a visit to take
place.
Israeli officials also said on Wednesday they doubted Erdogan
would go to Gaza, since he probably realized this would harm him more than it
would harm Israel.
A picture of Erdogan shaking hands with Hamas’s
leaders wouldn’t harm Israel, one diplomatic official said, but it would
strengthen those who argue that he supports Hamas.
“This won’t boost his
popularity in many places, such as in Ramallah, Washington or Brussels,” the
official said.
Yaakov Katz contributed to this report.
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