Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said that Israel will not respond to Turkey's demand that it recall its ambassador to Ankara. Interviewed by Kol Yisrael government radio, the former ambassador to the United States said “the intentions of someone making such demands are not good.”

He said Israel did not initiate the deterioration in relations and that the only way to put them back on track is through diplomatic channels, israelnationalnews.com reported.

Ayalon added that Israel was pressuring Lebanon through European countries to prevent a Gaza-bound flotilla from leaving, noting that the Europeans understand the flotillas are provocations. He said Israel's easing of restrictions on Gaza strengthened its legitimacy to act against vessels that break international law. He also thanked the European Union for increasing sanctions against Iran's nuclear development program.