In the wake of the UN report on the Mavi Marmara Gaza flotilla raid (See Wash. Post inverts UN report on flotilla raid to blacken Israel), Turkey has expelled Israel's ambassador, and reduced relations to the level of Second Secretary, suspending all  military agreements. The BBC report is worth reading.

The UN report largely favored Israel, but threw a bone to the Israel-haters by second-guessing the response of the Israeli commandoes who were ambushed and engaged in self defense, claiming they went too far. The Israel haters are demanding Israel apologize for defending themselves too vigorously after being violently attacked.  Israel absolutely cannot apologize, for that would be a rebuke to its forces for fighting for their lives. But with a criticism of Israel as ammunition, the anti-Israel forces in Turkey are not going to back down. It is hard to see a resolution to this, unless the domestic political equation changes in Turkey, something nobody seems to anticipate happening.

The shift in Turkey away from its alignment with Israel, following the rise of Islamists and decline of secularists in Turkish politics, is now official, and the vector of change quite worrisome.   This is a dark day.

Hat tip: James G. Wiles