Israeli diplomat warns Turkish ambassador could be expelled over TV show

Israel threatens to expel Turkish ambassador

JERUSALEM — The Israeli official who caused a diplomatic crisis with Turkey says the country’s ambassador could be expelled if Turkish TV dramas continue to depict Israeli security forces as brutal.

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon touched off the feud earlier this week when he called in the Turkish ambassador to reprimand him over a TV program showing Israeli agents kidnapping children and shooting old men.

He seated Turkish Ambassador Ahmet Oguz Celikkol on a sofa lower than his own chair and wouldn’t shake his hand in televised images of the meeting.

Asked in a Channel 2 TV interview Saturday what Israel would do if another installment were shown with scenes it found objectionable, Ayalon replied, “Maybe we would expel their ambassador.”