Turkey downgrades diplomatic relations with Israel

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Friday that Turkish-Israeli diplomatic relations would be downgraded to the level of a second-secretary. Davutoglu made the announcement at a press conference in the Turkish capital of Ankara, saying that all Turkish-Israeli military ties had also been suspended. "Turkey, as a country with the longest coastal line in the Eastern Mediterranean, will take every necessary measure pertaining to freedom of navigation," Davutoglu said. Davutoglu said that Turkey did not recognize Israel's blockade over Gaza, moreover, it would demand such issue to be reviewed by the International Court of Justice. Turkey's decision to reduce diplomatic ties with the Jewish state came after a U.N. report on an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound ship that killed nine Turks in May of 2010. The long-awaited U.N. report released on Thursday, declared that Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip was legal, but that the Jewish state used excessive force. Turkey called back its ambassador to Israel immediately after the raid.