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Turkish PM Sparks Israeli Fury With UN Comments
Criticism of Zionism in Passing Dubbed 'Anti-Semitic' by Israeli Leadership
AntiWar.com
February 28, 2013
by Jason Ditz
The comments weren't even supposed to be directed at Israel.
In a speech at the UN Alliance of Civilizations meeting, Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the international community to
speak out against Islamophobia, terming it a `crime against humanity'
and likening it to `Zionism, anti-Semitism and fascism.'
The mention is Zionism in passing was enough to spark a livid reaction
from Israeli officials, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
condemning it as a `libelous' comment, and other Likud officials
dubbing it `anti-semitic.'
Demands for apology were quick to follow, with Israeli officials and
European Jewish leaders suggested the comments had something to do
with the Armenian genocide, seemingly brought up only to get a rise
out of Turkey.
All of this falderal over a single comment reflects the ongoing
tension in what was once Israel's strongest regional alliance, which
has remained in ruins since the 2010 attack on the Mavi Marmara, with
Israel's government still split years later on whether or not to
apologize for killing Turkish aid workers on board the aid ship.
Criticism of Zionism in Passing Dubbed 'Anti-Semitic' by Israeli Leadership
AntiWar.com
February 28, 2013
by Jason Ditz
The comments weren't even supposed to be directed at Israel.
In a speech at the UN Alliance of Civilizations meeting, Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the international community to
speak out against Islamophobia, terming it a `crime against humanity'
and likening it to `Zionism, anti-Semitism and fascism.'
The mention is Zionism in passing was enough to spark a livid reaction
from Israeli officials, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
condemning it as a `libelous' comment, and other Likud officials
dubbing it `anti-semitic.'
Demands for apology were quick to follow, with Israeli officials and
European Jewish leaders suggested the comments had something to do
with the Armenian genocide, seemingly brought up only to get a rise
out of Turkey.
All of this falderal over a single comment reflects the ongoing
tension in what was once Israel's strongest regional alliance, which
has remained in ruins since the 2010 attack on the Mavi Marmara, with
Israel's government still split years later on whether or not to
apologize for killing Turkish aid workers on board the aid ship.