ANKARA – Turkey said on Friday it could cut ties with Israel to a minimum after a sea raid on a Turkish ship bound for Gaza plunged relations to their lowest since the two countries forged a strategic relationship in the 1990s. Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said existing military and economic agreements with Israel were now on the table for discussion after nine Turkish nationals were killed when Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara on Monday. "We are serious about this subject," he told NTV broadcaster in an interview. "We may plan to reduce our relations with Israel to a minimum, but to assume everything involving another country is stopped in an instant, to say we have crossed you out of our address book, is not the custom of our state," he said. Turkey, Israel's only Muslim ally, had already recalled its ambassador and canceled joint military exercises after the nine activists were killed while trying to break a blockade on Gaza. A spokeswoman for activists aboard another boat trying to run the blockade said they would continue their voyage. Israel, facing an international outcry over its naval operation on Monday, has vowed to stop the Rachel Corrie, named after an activist killed by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza in 2003. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered Israeli forces to exercise "caution and politeness" in handling the ship. The boat is expected near the waters off Gaza by Saturday. Together with Egypt, Israel tightened its blockade on Gaza after Hamas took control of the coastal enclave in 2007. Israel has defended the embargo, saying it stops Hamas from bringing in weapons to fight Israel. But officials said on Thursday Netanyahu was considering modifying the blockade, which would introduce some form of international role in enforcing an arms embargo, while letting in civilian goods. President Barack Obama said the incident should be used as an opportunity to advance Middle East peace efforts. "I think what's important right now is that we break out of the current impasse, use this tragedy as an opportunity," he said in an interview with CNN's Larry King on Thursday. US envoy George Mitchell, who is mediating in indirect Palestinian-Israeli talks which many observers doubt will achieve a breakthrough, met Netanyahu on Friday. He held talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday that a Palestinian official said were dominated by the ship incident and the Gaza blockade. The United States has been less critical of Israel than others, expressing sympathy for its security concerns while also saying the people of Gaza must get the supplies they need. Turkish people, however, already angered by the blockade and an Israeli offensive in Gaza in 2008, were outraged by the raid. Turkey, a moderate, secular country, recognised the Jewish state soon after its establishment in 1948 and in the 1990s it forged military and intelligence cooperation agreements with Israel, when both had hostile relations with Syria. With Turkey a customer for Israeli arms, bilateral trade reached $2.5 billion in 2009. Projects worth several billion dollars are in the pipeline in water, energy and agriculture.
