An Israeli Snub to "Very Valuable" Turkey?

Israel and Syria: Can Turkey Be a Mediator?

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Maybe it's because Israeli leaders had a busy day on Thursday --- debating Palestine, considering the economy, getting their hair done --- but I can't help thinking that this may be a snub. At Turkey's Republic Day reception in Israel, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, the Industry, Trade and Labor Minister, was the only Israeli politician to be found. President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon all declined their invitations.

Asked whether this was a form of protest, a spokesman for Peres said she had nothing to add. Lieberman's spokesman stated only that the Foreign Minister would not attend and did not give any detail. A spokesman for Netanyahu said the prime minister had other obligations Thursday night. A spokeswoman for Ayalon said on Wednesday that he was not able to attend due to "scheduling problems".

Ben-Eliezer did speak at the reception on the "very valuable" Israeli-Turkish relationship and said that it was a "great privilege to be here to today with good friends and to commemorate the 86th Republic Day of Turkey". Then he added, "Both [Israel and Turkey] cooperate strategically - we must make the utmost of efforts to put the train of our friendship back on track."

Israel's Growing Problem: Will Its Ministers Be Arrested?

Israeli Army Radio reported on Tuesday that Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon will not cut short his trip to Britain, despite warning from activists that they will press war crimes charges against him. Last month, British authorities rejected a petition to arrest Defense Minister Ehud Barak, saying that Barak was Britain's diplomatic guest.

Still, lawyers in Britain and other European countries such as the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, and Norway have been collecting testimonies of Palestinians regarding the alleged war crimes committed by Israel Defense Forces during the Gaza War. If the alleged crime is proven in court, individuals charged will be arrested as soon as they enter these countries.

On Wednesday, the former IDF chief of staff and Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon, whose trial has been sought over the assassination of senior Hamas activist Salah Shehadeh in July 2002, said he is "willing to forgo visits to European capitals and to allow the Israel Defense Forces the freedom to act." He added:

Israel is transparent. The IDF has recently conducted five serious probes, the criminal investigation division opened an investigation into credit card theft. There is a team that will respond to the report without having to stop the army in order to do so.

The Ultimate Israel-Palestine Football Match

UEFA president Michel Platini said, during a visit to Jerusalem on Tuesday, that he believes football can play a role in bringing about peace in the Middle East. Maybe, he is right. Maybe, it is only football that can bring peace to the region...

After Platini's words, we thought how two sides might come together, shake hands before the kickoff, and talk politics in the middle of the pitch. Imagine Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drinking from Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas's water and Israeli President Shimon Peres congratulating Hamas political diretor Khaled Meshaal's freekick goal. Just imagine...

The Palestinian Squad:

1 - Salam Fayyad - PA Prime Minister
2 - Bassam Al-Salhi - Leader of The Palestinian People's Party
3 - Ahmad Sa'adat - General Secretary of The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
4 - Khaled Meshal - Hamas leader in Syria
5 - Farouk al-Kaddoumi - Secretary-general of Fatah's central committee
6 - Aziz Duwaik - the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council
7 - Saeb Erekat - Palestinian Authority negotiator in Israeli-PA peace process
8 - Ismail Haniyeh - Hamas leader in Gaza
9 - Nayef Hawatmeh - Leader of The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine
10 - Mahmoud Abbas - PA President
11 - Saleh Ra'fat - Leader of The Palestinian Democratic Union

The Israeli Squad:

1 - Shimon Peres - President
2 - Yitzhak Aharonovich - Minister of Internal Security
3 - Silvan Shalom - Vice Prime Minister
4 - Moshe Ya'alon - Vice Prime Minister
5 - Avigdor Lieberman - Foreign Minister
6 - Ehud Barak - Defense Minister
7 - Danny Ayalon - Deputy Foreign Minister
8 - Dan Meridor - Deputy Prime Minister
9 - Eli Yishai - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs
10 - Benjamin Netanyahu - Prime Minister
11 - Ya'akov Ne'eman - Minister of Justice

Ref: George Mitchell (USA)