JERUSALEM - Israel's ambassador to Turkey says a leading Israeli theater company has been forced to cancel a play because Turkish protesters planned to disrupt the performance.

Gabby Levy says he recommended that the Tel Aviv-based Cameri company cancel the play in Antalya after Turkish authorities warned of protests inside and outside the theater.

The company's director, Noam Semel, told Army Radio in Israel on Sunday that he decided he could not endanger the 21-person company. He said he had performed abroad at least 100 times, including in Turkey, and did not "remember an incident like this."

Once close allies, Turkey and Israel have seen their ties deteriorate as the Mideast peace process remains deadlocked and as Turkey has turned increasingly away from the West and toward the Islamic world.