Israeli Diplomats at Odds over Israel Turkey Crises

A recent report on the status of Israeli-Turkish relations by the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s Center for Political Research has been called "divorced from reality" by the Israeli embassy in Ankara, according to the Israeli daily Ha’aretz. The report claimed that Turkey ‘got the message’ of purposeful "humiliation" when Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon insisted the Turkish ambassador to Israel sit on a low couch while Ayalon sat on a higher chair at a meeting earlier this month. The report also argued that the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was inciting antisemitism. The report has come under criticism both for the researcher’s failure to consult with Israel’s Ankara embassy staff, and for its wide distribution at a time when Israeli-Turkish relations are strained.