Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkey withdrew its ambassador and canceled joint military drills with Israel in response to the deadly raid May 31 that left nine dead
Turkey's prime minister is quoted as saying Monday that his country has closed its airspace to Israeli flights following a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Toronto that Turkey imposed the ban after the May 31 raid on a Turkish ship that was part of a six-vessel international aid flotilla, according to the state-run Anatolia news agency.
The prime minister, who is in Canada to attend a summit of the Group of 20 major industrial and developing nations, did not elaborate.
On Sunday, Israeli media reported that Turkey had not allowed a plane carrying Israeli military officers, en route to a tour of memorial sites in Auschwitz, Poland, to fly over Turkish airspace.
The transport plane, with more than 100 commissioned and noncommissioned officers on board, was forced to make a detour, the reportsaid.
According to reports, the Israel Defense Forces refrained from responding officially to the event so not to exacerbate the rift in relations.
Turkish aviation officials were not immediately available for comment.
Eight Turks and a Turkish-American were killed in the raid that drew Turkish outrage and widespread international condemnation.
"Up to now, we have done whatever is necessary within the rules of law - whether national or international - and we will continue to do so," Anatolia quoted Erdogan as saying, adding that ties with Israel could return to normal if Israel meets Turkey's demands.
"We are not interested in making a show. We don't desire such a thing and we have been very patient in the face of these developments," he said, according to Anatolia.
Israel has objected to an international inquiry into the operation and has set up its own investigative commission that includes two foreign observers.
Haaretz
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