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ISRAEL'S TOURISM MINISTER URGES TURKEY TRAVEL BOYCOTT
Asbarez
Monday, November 1st, 2010
JERUSALEM
Israel's tourism minister, Stas Mesezhnikov, urged Israelis on Sunday
to stop traveling to Turkey on vacation, calling for a travel boycott
after Turkey's National Security Council (MGK) classified the Jewish
state as a strategic threat.
The MGK approved changes in its National Security document on Sunday,
removing Iran, Syria and Armenia and adding Israel to the list of
countries that pose a "major threat" to Turkey.
Mesezhnikov said that ties with Turkey are important to Israel. But
he added that it must be boycotted totally as a tourism destination
for the national honor.
Relations hit a new low in May after Israeli naval commandos killed
nine activists from Turkey on board a flotilla that tried to breach
Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli travel agents have reported a large drop-off in once-popular
travel to Turkey. A report published in August showed the number of
Israelis traveling to Turkey in July was down 90%, reaching a measly
4,500 vacationers - compared to 43,000 in July 2009, and 78,000 in
July 2008.
Earlier this month, Turkish media reported that Turkey would not send
a delegation to the biannual Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) tourism conference, to be held in Jerusalem.
According to the Turkish Hurriyet Daily, the decision marked the
country's first official boycott of Israel on an international level
since the Mavi Marmara raid.
From: A. Papazian
Asbarez
Monday, November 1st, 2010
JERUSALEM
Israel's tourism minister, Stas Mesezhnikov, urged Israelis on Sunday
to stop traveling to Turkey on vacation, calling for a travel boycott
after Turkey's National Security Council (MGK) classified the Jewish
state as a strategic threat.
The MGK approved changes in its National Security document on Sunday,
removing Iran, Syria and Armenia and adding Israel to the list of
countries that pose a "major threat" to Turkey.
Mesezhnikov said that ties with Turkey are important to Israel. But
he added that it must be boycotted totally as a tourism destination
for the national honor.
Relations hit a new low in May after Israeli naval commandos killed
nine activists from Turkey on board a flotilla that tried to breach
Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli travel agents have reported a large drop-off in once-popular
travel to Turkey. A report published in August showed the number of
Israelis traveling to Turkey in July was down 90%, reaching a measly
4,500 vacationers - compared to 43,000 in July 2009, and 78,000 in
July 2008.
Earlier this month, Turkish media reported that Turkey would not send
a delegation to the biannual Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) tourism conference, to be held in Jerusalem.
According to the Turkish Hurriyet Daily, the decision marked the
country's first official boycott of Israel on an international level
since the Mavi Marmara raid.
From: A. Papazian