Turkey dumps Israel from joint air exercises
"The exercise Anatolian Eagle which was planned to take place in Turkey from October 12 to 23 has been postponed until further notice," the Israeli military said in a statement.
"The exercise has been postponed as a result of Turkey's decision to change the list of participating countries, thus excluding Israel. This decision came several days before the start of the exercise."
The exercise was to involve Turkish, Israeli and several other NATO air forces.
The United States also pulled out when Turkey excluded Israel. This year's manoeuvres were to include practicing aerial attacks in Turkish airspace near borders with Syria, Iraq and Iran, military sources said.
COMMENT: This development is a new low in relations between Israel and Turkey, which have been sliding since Israel's war in Gaza at the start of the year, despite Israel's attempt to brush it off. Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said: "Turkey was and remains a very important strategic anchor in the Middle East and its relations with Israel serve the interests of the entire region."In early September, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu cancelled a visit to Israel over a refusal to let him visit the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Turkey has been Israel's principal ally in the region. They have had close economic ties since reaching a military cooperation agreement in 1996. They have regularly participated in joint military exercises.

