ANKARA, Turkey, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- The row between Turkey and Israel seems to be easing after an Israeli government official apologized for publicly humiliating Turkey's ambassador to Israel.
Israel's deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, publicly apologized for a meeting Turkey's Ambassador to Israel Oguz Celikkol described as the most humiliating experience of his diplomatic career.
The row started when the Israeli foreign minister summoned Celikkol over a Turkish TV series perceived as anti-Semitic.
Ayalon made sure that the ambassador was placed lower than the Israeli officials, he refused to shake Celikkol's hand and ensured that Turkey's flag was not displayed. He even told the Israeli TV crew that the moves were intentional.
The Israeli diplomat said he was angry over the popular Turkish TV series "The Valley of the Wolves," which depicts Israeli soldiers killing civilians.
Turkey's President Abdullah Gul threatened to withdraw the ambassador if Israel didn't issue a satisfying apology.
Such followed Wednesday, when both Ayalon and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu apologized for the incident.
"My protest against the attacks on Israel in Turkey remains valid," the BBC quoted Ayalon as saying. "Nevertheless, it is not my way to disrespect ambassadors' honor and in the future I will clarify my position in a diplomatically acceptable manner."
Netanyahu said he hoped the apology would ease the diplomatic conflict. The incident had also been criticized within Israel.
"The prime minister feels that the protest issued to the Turkish ambassador was fundamentally correct but it should have been conveyed in the conventional diplomatic mode," said a statement issued by Netanyahu's office. Netanyahu, the BBC reports, "again expressed his concern over the cooling of the ties between Israel and Turkey."
The row is only the latest in a series of conflicts between the once closely allied nations.
Turkey has in the past months harshly criticized Israel for what Ankara feels was an excessive use of force in Israel's offensive into the Gaza Strip.
The military operation, aimed at countering ongoing rocket attacks from Hamas, killed 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis, according to human-rights groups.
Tel Aviv is worried that Ankara wants to sever ties with Israel in a bid to move closer to Iran and Syria. Israel also feels that the Turkish media encourages anti-Semitism.
Israel and Turkey, a predominantly Muslim NATO member, for years have fostered close economic and military ties.
The row comes ahead of a visit by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak to Turkey on Sunday.
