Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak says Turkey and Israel will not become enemies, and that the dispute between the two countries over the Israeli raid on a Turkish aid flotilla last year will pass.

His comments Thursday on Israeli radio came after Turkey said it is suspending military trade and cooperation with Israel and increasing naval surveillance in the eastern Mediterranean.

Turkey also ordered the expulsion of Israel's ambassador last week when Israel rejected a demand to apologize for the May 2010 raid on the Turkish vessel Mavi Marmara.

Israeli commandos stormed the ship to enforce a blockade of the Gaza Strip aimed at preventing weapons from reaching militants who control Gaza. The vessel was carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians.

A confrontation on the ship led to the killings of nine Turkish activists and the wounding of several Israeli soldiers.

A U.N. panel said Israel used “excessive and unreasonable” force by sending armed commandos to storm the Mavi Marmara. But the report also said Israel's enforcement of the naval blockade was a “legitimate” security measure against the ship and other vessels in the Gaza-bound flotilla. The panel also accused the flotilla organizers of acting “recklessly” by trying to challenge the blockade.

Israel has accepted the report with some reservations, while Turkey has rejected its key findings.