JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s ambassador to Turkey was not invited to an annual dinner marking the end of Ramadan.
Gabi Levi did not receive an invitation to the Eid al-Fitr dinner, to which all the diplomats in Turkey have been invited for the past four years, according to reports. The dinner is given by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling religious party.
Turkish media reported over the weekend that the exclusion is meant to show anger over Israel’s interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla, which led to the death of nine Turkish nationals aboard a Turkish-flagged ship.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry called it an "escalation" of the enmity between the two countries that began with the Gaza war.
"We will act responsibly and will not be dragged into the Turkish dance of swords," the Foreign Ministry said, according to Israeli media reports.
