Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks at a breakfast meeting in Paris marked a new low in deteriorating relations between Israel and Turkey, which once had close military and political ties.
“If a country uses disproportionate force in Palestine, in Gaza — uses phosphorous shells — we’re not going to say ‘bravo’,” he said, referring to Israel’s January 2009 offensive against people in Gaza.
Operation Cast Lead, which was aimed at preventing rocket attacks from Gaza on Israel, left around 1,400 Palestinians dead and destroyed thousands of homes.
Erdogan said Israel’s justification for the offensive was based on “lies” and cited a report by UN investigator Richard Goldstone, a South African judge who accused Israel of war crimes.
“Goldstone is a Jew and his report is clear,” the Turkish leader told reporters invited to meet him at the Paris Ritz hotel. “It’s not because we are Muslims that we take this position. Our position is humanitarian.
“It’s Israel that is the principal threat to regional peace,” said Erdogan speaking in Turkish, through a French interpreter.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit back at what he said were Turkey’s repeated attacks. “We are interested in good relations with Turkey and regret that Erdogan chooses time after time to attack Israel,” he said at a Jerusalem news conference held to review his first year in office.
“It is a regrettable occurrence which I don’t think serves the interests of stability and improved relations in our region,” said Netanyahu, adding that he had not discussed the issue with Erdogan.
On Tuesday, Ankara “vehemently condemned” remarks attributed to Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman that likened Erdogan to Libya’s Muammar Qaddafi and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez.
Israeli website Ynet quoted Lieberman as saying on Monday that Erdogan is “slowly turning into Qaddafi or Hugo Chavez” and added: “It’s his choice. The problem is not Turkey, the problem is Erdogan.” This spat followed tensions caused when Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon gave Turkey’s ambassador a public dressing down in January to protest a Turkish television series that criticized Israel.
After having kept Oguz Celikkol waiting, the envoy was made to sit on a low couch and the Turkish flag was removed from their table. Ayalon had pictures taken of the humiliating scene, infuriating Ankara.
One year after the Gaza battle, in a memorable outburst, Erdogan stormed out of a debate at the 2009 World Economic Forum in Davos after telling Israeli President Shimon Peres: “You know well how to kill people.”
Turkey is currently a member of the UN Security Council, which will soon have to decide whether to follow French and US pressure to impose tougher penalties on Iran over its nuclear program.
