Israel calls Turkey’s threat to send warships grave and serious!

TEL AVIV, Israel - September 9, 2011 - A top Israeli minister on Friday described as "grave and serious" a threat by Ankara to send warships to escort any aid vessels trying to reach the Gaza Strip in defiance of Israel's naval blockade.

Israel and Turkey have been locked in a bitter dispute since May 2010 when Israeli naval forces stormed the Freedom Flotilla, a convoy of six international aid ships trying to reach Gaza, killing nine Turkish nationals.

The crisis deepened over the past week, with Turkey expelling the Israeli ambassador and axing military ties and defense trade.

On Thursday night, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed that Turkish warships would escort any aid ships trying to reach the Palestinian enclave.

"These remarks are grave and serious," senior cabinet minister Dan Meridor told army radio, while indicating that Israel had "no wish to add to the polemic."

"It is better to stay quiet and wait - we have no interest in aggravating the situation by replying to such (verbal) attacks," said Meridor, who is also minister of intelligence and atomic affairs.

Speaking to Al Jazeera television in Turkish, Erdogan said Ankara would dispatch warships to protect any Turkish aid ships seeking to reach Gaza in defiance of the Israeli blockade.

"Turkish warships will be tasked with protecting the Turkish boats bringing humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip," he said in remarks which were translated into Arabic.

"From now on, we will no longer allow these boats to be the targets of attacks by Israel, like the one on the Freedom Flotilla, because then Israel will have to deal with an appropriate response," he warned.