Sunday, December 13, 2009

Turkey's recent defense of Palestinians begets rebuke by Obama

Turkey says will not stand for 'additional slaughter in Gaza'
(Y Net) --

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Daoud Oglo said at a Washington conference that his country would not stand for "the additional Israeli acts of slaughter in the Gaza Strip".

Syrian news agencies quoted Oglo as saying, "Israel did not only commit a serious mistake with its aggression in Gaza, but also a crime with its use of phosphorous shells. We will no longer stand for any acts of slaughter performed in our region." (Roee Nahmias)...LINK
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Obama rebukes Turkey’s leader on Israel

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- President Obama rebuked the Turkish prime minister for belligerent anti-Israel rhetoric, saying it was harming Turkey's profile.

"In the president's meeting with Prime Minister Erdogan yesterday, the president told the prime minister that his anti-Israel rhetoric was eroding his nation's ability to effectively lead on the issue as it had in the past," said a statement relayed Tuesday to JTA by a U.S. official. "The president pressed the prime minister to make rebuilding Turkey's ties with Israel a priority."

Obama and Tayyip Erdogan met Monday to discuss ties between the two nations. Turkey is seeking to reinforce its ties with the United States as it is increasingly isolated from Europe because of tensions over its candidacy for membership in the European Union and the Islamist tilt of Erdogan's government.

Erdogan has heightened criticism of Israel more than any other Turkish leader since ties were established in the early 1950s, accusing Israel of war crimes during last winter's Gaza war, and defending Iran's nuclear program...CONT'D...LINK

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