Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan vows that his country’s warships will accompany the aid vessels bound for the besieged Gaza strip.
It seems that the rift between Turkey and the Zionist entity has deepened, with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan vows that his country’s warships will accompany the aid vessels bound for the besieged Gaza strip.
"Turkish warships will be tasked with protecting the Turkish boats bringing humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip," Erdogan said in an interview with Al Jazeera television.
Erdogan also said his country would not allow the repetition of the last year’s Israeli raid on “Freedom Flotilla”, in which nine Turkish activists were martyred.
"From now on, we will no longer allow these boats to be the targets of attacks by Israel, like the one on the Freedom flotilla, because then Israel will have to deal with an appropriate response," he warned.
"Turkey will be firm on its right to control the territorial waters in the east of the Mediterranean," Erdogan added.
Ankara had also "undertaken measures to prevent Israel unilaterally exploiting" the region's natural resources, he warned.
ISRAELI MINISTER RESPONDS
For his part, Israeli Intelligence Minister Dan Meridor described on Friday as "grave and serious" Erdogan’s threat.
"These remarks are grave and serious, but we have no wish to add to the polemic," Meridor said on army radio.
"It is better to stay quiet and wait -- we have no interest in aggravating the situation by replying to such (verbal) attacks," he said.
Tensions went greater between the two sides after Israel refused to apologize for the deadly raid.
A UN report into the flotilla incident was published last week. Although it criticized Israel for using excessive force in the raid, the report described the naval embargo as “legal”.
Last Friday Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador in Ankara, suspended military deals and vowed a greater naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
On Tuesday, Turkey suspended all defense trade ties with the Zionist entity. As he announced the suspension, Erdogan described Israel as the “spoiled child” and hinted he would visit Gaza strip soon.
