Israeli deputy FM: "My unfortunate joke wasn't meant to humilate Turkey's ambassador"

An incident last year when Turkey's ambassador was made to sit on a low chair in front of cameras was an unfortunate joke not meant to humiliate him, claimed Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon yesterday. The regret expressed for the incident follows attempts by other Israeli officials to mend ties with Turkey after years of heightened tensions. Ayalon had apologized for the incident after it happened in January 2010, when he invited Turkish Ambassador Ahmet Celikkol to his office to complain about how a Turkish TV show had depicted the Mossad. He pointed out the low chair to journalists at the time. "What I did to the ambassador was a joke," Ayalon told Turkish reporters yesterday. "Unfortunately, a joke made in front of TV cameras. I wrote a letter to the ambassador and I told him I hadn't meant to humiliate him." He added, "What we have lost between Israel and Turkey is trust. We have to give up mutual accusations."