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Turkey to challenge Gaza blockade at ICJ
Crisis with Turkey: FM Ahmet Davutoglu says Ankara doesn't recognize Gaza blockade, prepares to take matter to International Court of Justice; dismisses Palmer Report conclusion that siege is legal. Meanwhile, Turkish paper reports Turkey planning to boost naval presence in Mediterranean Sea
AP and Ynet Published: 09.03.11, 17:44 / Israel News
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Turkey is preparing to challenge Israel's blockade on Gaza at the International Court of Justice, the foreign minister said Saturday, ratcheting up tensions between the once close allies.
Ahmet Davutoglu's comments came a day after Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador and severed military ties with the country angered over its refusal to apologize for last year's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that killed nine pro-Palestinian activists.
Crisis with Turkey:
Op-ed: Turkey left an opening
'No use of excessive force'
'Turkey not interested in restoring ties'
Israel insists it won't apologize to Turkey
In an interview with Turkey's state-run TRT television, Davutoglu dismissed a UN report into the raid that said Israel's naval blockade of Gaza was a legal security measure. Davutoglu said the report - prepared by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer, and former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, and presented to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon - was not endorsed by the United Nations and was therefore not binding.
Ahmet Davutoglu. Heading to The Hague? (Photo: AFP)
"What is binding is the International Court of Justice," Davutoglu said. "This is what we are saying: let the International Court of Justice decide."
"We are starting the necessary legal procedures this coming week," he said.
The minister said the UN report released Friday contradicted an earlier report on the Gaza flotilla incident which found that Israeli forces violated international law when they raided the flotilla. That report was prepared in September by three human rights experts appointed by the UN's top human rights body.
Davutoglu also warned Israel that it risks alienation among Arab nations by resisting an apology.
"If Israel persists with its current position, the Arab spring will give rise to a strong Israel opposition as well as the debate on the authoritarian regimes," he said
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