Turkey has closed its airspace for Israeli planes after ties between the two countries deteriorated following a recent raid by Israeli commandos on a Turkish aid flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea, local media said.
"By now we have done everything which is stipulated by international and domestic law, and will further follow this way," the NTV channel quoted Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying.
On Sunday, Israeli media reported that Turkish authorities banned an Israeli plane with 100 military and civilian officials on board from entering Turkish airspace. The officials were reportedly heading to Poland to visit the Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
Turkish media said Erdogan had set forth conditions to improve bilateral ties with Israel during the G20 summit in Toronto. The prime minister reiterated Turkey's demand that Israel apologize for the attack on the Turkish vessels during the May 31 raid, which claimed the lives of 9 people and left dozens injured.
The attack, which took place in neutral waters off the Gaza coast, has been widely condemned by the international community and has infuriated Turkey. Thousands took to the streets in Istanbul and the capital of Ankara to protest against the Israeli aggression.
Following the raid, described by Turkish authorities as "a black spot" in human history, Turkey recalled its ambassador from Israel.
During the G20 summit, Erdogan also urged Israel to pay compensation to the relatives of the raid victims and agree to the creation of an independent commission involving foreign experts to investigate the attack, Turkish papers said. The prime minister also demanded Israel lift the three-year Gaza blockade.
Israel has refused to cooperate with any independent investigation over the attack, ordering a government commission and the Israeli military to conduct separate probes into the raid.
Israel has warned that it did not allow the six-ship Freedom Flotilla to approach the Gaza coast, proposing to transport the humanitarian cargo by land instead.
Gaza has been under almost continuous Israeli blockade since radical Islamic group Hamas took control of the enclave in June 2007. Many of the 1.5 million people living in Gaza lack sufficient supplies of clean water and other vital items.
ANKARA, June 28 (RIA Novosti)
