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May 11, 2012 10:49 AM (AP)



BRUSSELS - Israel will not be invited to NATO's May 20-21 summit in Chicago, the alliance's top official said Friday. News reports
have claimed that Turkey blocked Israel's participation because of the raid in 2010 by Israeli troops on ships heading to Gaza in which
eight Turks and a Turkish-American died. Instead, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the reason is because Israel
does not participate in NATO's main military missions.

NATO has a system of partnerships with dozens of nations across the globe such as the Mediterranean Dialogue, a NATO outreach program
with seven friendly nations, including Israel. In the past, partner nations did not usually attend the alliance's summits. But Fogh Rasmussen
said 13 would do so this time. Two other members of the Mediterranean group, Jordan and Morocco, are among them, but Fogh
Rasmussen said Israel is not.

Earlier this year, Turkey scuttled a plan to include an Israeli warship in a NATO-run flotilla patrolling the Mediterranean. In the past, Israeli
warships and air force jets have joined in some NATO exercises, but Israel's participation in the naval operation would the first time its armed
forces have taken part in one of the alliance's military operations.