Army drill canceled due to US outcry

Jerusalem Post ^ | 10-11-09

[SJackson]

A joint military exercise that Israel, the US, NATO, Turkey and Italy were scheduled to conduct this week, was taken off the table because of American disappointment with Ankara's decision to withdraw from the maneuver due to Israel's planned participation, Israeli defense officials said Sunday.

Turkey informed Israel of the cancellation of the Anatolian Eagle exercise last week, saying this was because the planes that Israel was going to send likely bombed Hamas targets during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip earlier this year.

According to officials quoted by Israel Radio, the cancellation of the exercise came after both the US and NATO threatened to pull out if the IAF did not participate.

Similar comments were made to the Associated Press by officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter with the media.

RELATED Turkey drops joint drill because of IAF However, a statement released by the IDF's Spokesperson's Office on Saturday said that "The exercise was postponed due to a Turkish decision to change the composition of the participants and not allow the Israel Air Force to participate, a decision we were informed of only several days ago."

Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon told Israel Radio on Sunday afternoon that "the incident must be looked into accurately without bowing our heads."

Israel is "better off in a coalition of NATO countries led by the US, who will negotiate with the Turks, because [the country's decision to back out of participating in the joint drill] also harms European and American interests," the deputy minister said.

"Turkey was and remains a very important strategic anchor in the Middle East," Ayalon concluded.

According to reports over the weekend in the Turkish press, Ankara decided last week to cancel international participation in the annual air force exercise, in which Israel has taken part several times in the past. The reports claimed that the move was aimed specifically at preventing the Israel Air Force from participating, an idea confirmed by the IDF Spokesman's Office on Saturday night.

[NonValueAdded]

So we just gave Turkey veto power over our military maneuvers?

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

..................

[Mmogamer]

Oh, boy.. yeah looks like we do what we are told now.. egad has it come to this.

[hinckley buzzard]

"Turkey was and remains a very important strategic anchor in the Middle East," Ayalon concluded

Diplospeak is nice but Israel better be reading the handwriting on the wall. Obama is providing cover for Turkey to slide back into the Islamic swamp.

Soon Israel will be on her own, supported only by conservative American Christians. Unfortunately, Jews fear them more than the Jihadists who will come and kill their wives and children for them.

[Outlaw Woman]

I knew this was coming. I read about this ‘joint’ military exercise last week and thought “something isn’t right about this”.....This must have been scheduled prior to the Fascist taking office.

[SJackson]

I guess. Since this represents the real world, it would seem to make sense to go ahead in the face of Turkey’s withdrawl, else they’ll have a veto over our military actions in the region.

[ncfool]

Obummer did as he didn’t want to upset his Islamic friends in the world.

Goodbye Israel

[ncfool]

Obummer got a Nobel prize for elimination of Israel.

[xkaydet65]

Just saw on Fox that we’re holding joint maneuvers with IDF focused on war with Iran. These maneuvers are scheduled to begin tomorrow.

[Outlaw Woman]

Yeah, wouldn’t we like to throw his ass under the bus?

[Outlaw Woman]

Well apparently someone has it wrong. Hmmmm

[Blood of Tyrants]

Obama has given the entire world veto over our military maneuvers.

[Salvation]

Sad. I was hoping this would take place.

[onedoug]

Were I Israel, I wouldn’t trust America.

God, that I actually wrote that....

But I mean it.

[Eleutheria5]

What a bunch of turkeys.

[RaceBannon]

under this president, you are surely correct.

[a_Turk]

Maybe this had something to do with the location of the planned exercises.

[a_Turk]

Report: Turkey excluded Israel over military delivery delay October 14, 2009

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Turkey excluded Israel from a NATO military exercise because of Israel's delay in delivering unmanned aerial vehicles to Turkey, a Turkish newspaper reported.

“Turkey needs those vehicles in its fight against terror. What led to the recent crisis between Turkey and Israel was the delay in the delivery,” Today's Zaman quoted an unnamed senior Turkish air force official as saying on Wednesday.

The UAV surveillance drones are known as Herons. Turkey signed on four years ago to purchase 10 of the Herons from Israeli Aerospace Industries and Elbit Systems, Ltd. at a cost of over $180 million. The companies missed the original delivery deadline and then missed a new deadline to deliver four Herons in August, followed shortly after by another two and then the last four by the end of October, the newspaper reported.

Two Herons that have already been delivered have not been used by Turkey due to problems with strengthening the engine that the Israeli companies were supposed to take care of, according to the report.

"The General Staff asked Israeli authorities one last time about the delivery of the Herons. Israeli authorities refused to give an exact date and said they planned to deliver the vehicles by the end of 2009, whereupon the General Staff decided to cancel the international part of the exercises,” the air force official told the newspaper. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Syria's Foreign Minister told Al Jazeera that Turkey and Syria held joint military exercises last week, the second military exercise between the two countries since April.

Also on Tuesday, the United States criticized Turkey for excluding Israel from participation in the scheduled NATO drill, which led to its cancellation. The criticism came during a State Department press briefing.