Expelled Israeli ambassador humiliated at Istanbul airport

After he was expelled from Turkey, Ambassador Eitan Na'eh made to go through strict security check at airport in front of Turkish media cameras, which were especially invited to cover his departure; Foreign Ministry summons no.2 Turkish diplomat in Israel for reprimand.

Na'eh was also asked to remove his shoes, following which a Turkish security guard patted him down. "This was an intentional humiliation," an Israeli official said. "The journalists were invited to the airport and taken into the sterile area of a Turkish Airlines flight, where security checks are done right before boarding."

Returning to Israel, Na'eh said he always has to undergo security checks at the Istanbul airport, but that this was the only time cameras were brought in to witness it. "There's no place like Israel," Na'eh added.

Because of the on-camera humiliation, the no. 2 diplomat in the Turkish mission in Israel, Umut Deniz, was summoned by the Foreign Ministry for a reprimand.

Upon his arrival at the Foreign Ministry, Deniz was asked to present his identification at the entrance—Israel's response to the humiliation of Na'eh.

In her meeting with Deniz, the director of the Foreign Ministry's Southern Europe Department, Iris Ambor, "expressed Israel's strong protest to the outrageous Turkish conduct," adding that "Israel cannot tolerate such behavior towards its representative. This behavior constitutes a blatant violation of the diplomatic code of conduct common among nations. This position has also been made clear directly to Ankara as well."