Yaakov Katz , THE JERUSALEM POST Mar. 31, 2009
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Israel will take part in a joint naval exercise with Turkey this summer
despite months of tense relations between Jerusalem and Ankara.

Defense officials said the Israel Navy would allocate at least one missile
ship to participate in a search-and-rescue exercise in the Mediterranean Sea
in July. Other NATO member countries are expected to join the drill.

The Israeli and Turkish navies have enjoyed years of strong ties and
participate annually in joint maneuvers throughout the region.

While there was never a real fear that this year's exercise would be
canceled, the possibility was raised due to the strained relations between
Turkey and Israel since Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
castigated Israel during Operation Cast Lead, defense officials said.

OC Ground Forces Command Maj.-Gen. Avi Mizrahi also raised Ankara's ire in
February when he told a conference of IDF officers at the National Defense
College that Erdogan needed to look in the mirror before criticizing Israel.

Mizrahi said Turkey was not in a position to condemn Israeli actions in Gaza
when it stations troops in northern Cyprus and massacred Armenians during
World War I.

Mizrahi's comments followed Erdogan's harsh criticism of Israel at the World
Economic Forum in Davos during a panel with President Shimon Peres.