Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned on Monday against further harming Israel's relations with Turkey, after Turkey excluded Israel from a joint military exercise as a way of criticizing Israel's winter offensive against Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
According to a statement released by Barak's press officer from a closed meeting, the defense minister said, "The relations between Israel and Turkey are strategic and have been maintained for dozens of years. Despite all the ups and downs, Turkey continues to be a central player in our region; it is unsuitable to be drawn into criticizing it."