Turkey has recalled its ambassador to the U.S. following a decision by Congress to define the 1915 massacre of Armenians as an act of genocide.
Dr. Alon Liel, a former Israeli ambassador in Turkey, told IDF Radio Friday that deterioration in U.S. – Turkish relations also harms Israeli-Turkish relations.
"Tom Lantos, the head of the committee that made the decision, is a Jewish Holocaust survivor very much associated with Israel and he voted in favor of the resolution," he explained. "The Turks see that as the starting point of the deterioration and think Jerusalem can at least influence the decisions of Jewish American communities."