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Israel to pull some diplomatic staff from Turkey

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AFP Ankara
Last Updated : Jul 18 2014 | 9:08 PM IST
Israel decided today to pull some of its diplomatic staff out of Turkey in the wake of violent protests targeting the buildings of its embassy and consulate in Ankara and Istanbul, an embassy spokesman said.
"Foreign Minister (Avigdor) Lieberman issued a statement... Following the demonstrations and instructed the Israeli consulate and embassy to reduce their diplomatic staff in Turkey," the spokesman told AFP, without stating the numbers concerned.
The spokesman emphasised that the Israeli representation in Turkey would not be completely shut down but would be reduced to minimum staffing. The measure also includes the diplomats' families, he added.
The Israeli foreign ministry also accused Turkey's security officials of failing to prevent the violence, he noted.
Hundreds of protesters attacked the Israeli consulate in Istanbul while similar numbers sought to break into the residence of the ambassador in Ankara.
Riot police fired tear gas and water cannon to halt the protests in Istanbul in the early hours of the morning but in Ankara they stood on the sidelines.

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The crowds in Istanbul, waving Palestinian flags, hurled stones and smashed the windows of the consulate in the upscale Levent district to denounce the Israeli military operations that have left at least 260 Palestinians dead.
Turkey downgraded its diplomatic ties with the Jewish state after the deadly 2010 maritime raid by Israeli commandoes of a Gaza-bound Turkish ship. Ten pro-Palestinian activists were killed as a result of the attack.
Ankara expelled the Israeli ambassador, demanded a formal apology, compensation for the victims, and an end to the Gaza blockade.
After a US-brokered apology issued by Israel, both sides were engaged in contacts to mend fences and were close to a compensation agreement. But the Israeli military operation in Gaza Strip has made any normalisation out of the question for the moment.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, has stepped up his vehement criticism of the Israeli actions in Gaza, accusing the Jewish state of seeking to carry out a "systematic genocide" of Palestinians.

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First Published: Jul 18 2014 | 9:08 PM IST

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