West Bank (Reuters) - Ankara's diplomatic confrontation with Israel over the bloody seizure of an aid ship bound for Gaza has boosted Turkey's popularity among Arabs who long to see their own governments show similar resolve.
From Cairo to Kuwait, Turkey's red flag has flown across the Arab world in a show of support for its response to the Israeli raid in which nine activists, at least three of them Turks, were killed as they tried to break the sea blockade of the Palestinian enclave.
Ankara's reaction, including the withdrawal of its Tel Aviv ambassador, has shown up the few Arab governments that also have diplomatic ties with Israel. These include Egypt, which was already under fire for helping Israel enforce the Gaza blockade.
Conscious of Arab and wider Muslim criticism of its role in enforcing the embargo, Cairo opened the Rafah crossing on Wednesday. It is the only gateway to the Gaza Strip not fully controlled by Israel, which has imposed a tight blockade on the Hamas Islamist-run territory.
