 Erdogan has been under pressure to act against Israel |
Turkey has recalled its two most senior diplomats from Israel for consultations following a sharp dip in relations. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was strongly critical of recent Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip, calling them "state terrorism".
Correspondents say the move is a low-key form of diplomatic protest and the two are expected to return this week.
Turkey is Israel's chief regional ally and the two countries have close economic and military ties.
But analysts say Mr Erdogan has been under pressure from his Islamic-based party to protest against recent Israeli military action which has left dozens of Palestinians dead and 2,000 homeless. Turkish officials described the recall of the ambassador in Tel Aviv, Feridun Sinirlioglu, and the consul general in Jerusalem, Huseyin Bicakli, as part of "regular consultations".
A spokeswoman at the Turkish embassy, quoted by Associated Press, said the consultations were aimed at helping to find ways to reduce Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
Turkey is one of Israel's biggest trade partners. It is reported to have bought $3bn of Israeli arms since the two countries signed a military co-operation agreement in 1996 and receives about 300,000 Israeli tourists a year.
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Today Palestinians are the victims and the people of Israel are treating then as they were treated [during the Spanish Inquisition] 
