Turkish PM slams Israel as a 'persecutor'

[retro]

ANKARA — Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed Israel as a "persecutor" on Saturday in the latest verbal volley since the Gaza offensive raised tensions between the regional allies.

"Turkey has never, in its history, been on the side of persecutors, it has always defended the oppressed," Erdogan said without directly naming Israel in a speech in the central city of Kirsehir.

"Turkey has not hostility against any country, but ... we are against injustice," he said in the televised remarks.

Ties between the strategic allies began to sour in January when Turkey strongly condemned Israel's 22-day assault on the Gaza Strip, which was launched to counter rocket attacks by Palestinian militants.

Relations took another sharp downturn last week when Ankara excluded the xxxish state from annual joint military exercises, prompting a rebuke from the United States.

And in recent days, Israel criticised a Turkish state television series that depicts Israeli soldiers deliberately killing Palestinian children.
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http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jbt_9NTuAaE9UGSuOG8HnH8JSNAw

[retro]

Re: Turkish PM slams Israel as a 'persecutor'

The Turkish kettle is calling the Israeli pot black.

[AlphaPapa]

Re: Turkish PM slams Israel as a 'persecutor'

silly kemalists...

http://thinkexist.com/quotations/propaganda/

[retro]

Re: Turkish PM slams Israel as a 'persecutor'

A senior Turkish military source was quoted as saying: "Israel has failed yet again to deliver the Israeli-made surveillance drones known as Herons to Turkey. Turkey needs those vehicles in its fight against terror. What led to the recent crisis between Turkey and Israel was the delay in delivery."

The source said Ankara ordered 10 drones for $180 million and although the manufacturers, Israel's Elbit and the arms industry, rescheduled delivery dates, the Turkish military command does not believe they will keep to them.

The Israelis don't like Erdogan's government and maintain that it has extremist connections. Erdogan however moves the right way on foreign policy and he is not entirely wrong to try to counter the Turkish armies influence either.

Turkey at the end of the day is a Conservative Muslim country and whilst secularism may apply to a segment of it's middle class, it does not necessarily to the Turkish masses.

[Catharsis]

Re: Turkish PM slams Israel as a 'persecutor'

Ayrilik (Farewell) - the Turkish TV drama series (played on Turkey's central TRT-1) on the Israeli atrocities in Gaza has caused a diplomatic furor in Israel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9fh_6dENT8

[Anoush]

Re: Turkish PM slams Israel as a 'persecutor'

Հիմակ որ երկու վատ կառավարութիւնները աղւոր մը մեր Արեւմտեան Հայաստանի հողերուն վրայ նստան Պարոն դաւաճան Սերճ Սարգիսեանի շնորհիւ, հիմակ ալ շան շունի միս չուտեր կըսեն, ահա չեն ուտեր կոր իրար միս:

[Joseph]

Re: Turkish PM slams Israel as a 'persecutor'

I do not stand behind Israeli actions via the Palestinians but the latest statement and actions coming from Ankara are completely saturated in hypocrisy. Erdogan and his ilk are living in fantasyland.

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Turkish PM slams Israel as a 'persecutor'

I do not stand behind Israeli actions via the Palestinians but the latest statement and actions coming from Ankara are completely saturated in hypocrisy. Erdogan and his ilk are living in fantasyland.

But if they keep up with such statements, their hypocrisy will become so apparent it will have to be confronted. If Turkey wants the right (which it does) to criticise the actions of other nations, and have their criticism taken seriously rather than laughed at, they had better be sure their own actions (both now and in the past) are clean and above reproach.

[Joseph]

Re: Turkish PM slams Israel as a 'persecutor'

But if they keep up with such statements, their hypocrisy will become so apparent it will have to be confronted. If Turkey wants the right (which it does) to criticise the actions of other nations, and have their criticism taken seriously rather than laughed at, they had better be sure their own actions (both now and in the past) are clean and above reproach.

Agree. The current Turkish regime is injuring itself. The Israelis are certainly fuming. The political situation is changing, the common Israeli, never overtly pro-Turkish is now becoming hostile towards Turkey. Not that Turkish-Israeli relations are going to combust immediately. This will take time. Meanwhile the Israelis slowly help the Kurds in Northern Iraq/Kurdistan, as they should. Why not cultivate a new Muslim ally, and one with oil? On the flipside, Azeri-Israeli relations may remain strong. The Israelis and Turks could eventualy break ties but I don't necessarily see Armenia/Armenians benefitting from this. The Israelis in the diaspora/ outside of Israel are still clinging to Turkey and holding out hope.

[egeli]

Re: Turkish PM slams Israel as a 'persecutor'

Agree. The current Turkish regime is injuring itself. The Israelis are certainly fuming. The political situation is changing, the common Israeli, never overtly pro-Turkish is now becoming hostile towards Turkey. Not that Turkish-Israeli relations are going to combust immediately. This will take time. Meanwhile the Israelis slowly help the Kurds in Northern Iraq/Kurdistan, as they should. Why not cultivate a new Muslim ally, and one with oil? On the flipside, Azeri-Israeli relations may remain strong. The Israelis and Turks could eventualy break ties but I don't necessarily see Armenia/Armenians benefitting from this. The Israelis in the diaspora/ outside of Israel are still clinging to Turkey and holding out hope.

If Turkey cannot hold good relations with Israel, no Muslim country can. Just being Muslim, even if non-practicing, correlates very strongly with negative perceptions of Israel. Even most secular Turks were never pro-Israel, in fact some extremist Kemalists believe that the AKP was founded by Zionists whose misson is to weaken Turkey by planting political Islam within Turkish politics.

Iraqi Kurds said themselves they rather fall under the regional influence of Turkey rather than Iraq.