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Turkey: Erdogan accuses Israel of blocking Gaza humanitarian aid
11:50 ¢ 26.07.14
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Israel of
preventing the transfer of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, in his
latest verbal salvo against Tel Aviv, Hurriyet Daily News reports.
`The barbaric massacre that Israel has launched in Gaza is going on at
full speed. The United Nations is silent about the massacre;
furthermore, it is encouraging Israel,' ErdoÄ?an said on July 25,
delivering a speech in the Central Anatolian province of EskiÅ?ehir
during the inauguration of the Ankara-Istanbul high-speed railway
line.
`You see those mothers, don't you? There are almost 800 martyrs in
Gaza. At the moment, we are having difficulty in sending even
humanitarian aid. We shall send medicine and food, but it [Israel] is
trying to prevent even that. But we will reach out to there sooner or
later,' he added.
In Cairo on the same day, after holding several meetings with US
Secretary of State John Kerry and Egyptian officials aimed at ending
the conflict, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate
`humanitarian pause' in the fighting in Gaza, lasting through the
Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
Erdogan, meanwhile, also suggested that an `immoral' smear campaign
had been launched against him both inside the country and abroad,
attempting to portray of him as an anti-Semite.
`They are conducting an immoral campaign by distorting our remarks
both inside and abroad and trying to show us as anti-Semitic. But I am
perhaps the first prime minister in the world to say that
anti-Semitism is a crime against humanity,' he said.
He also added, however, that European officials had so far been
reluctant to label Islamophobia as a crime against humanity in the
same way as anti-Semitisim.
The remarks came only a day after a Jewish American group asked
Erdogan to return an award it gave him in 2004, accusing the Turkish
leader of `dangerous rhetoric' and `inciting violence against the
Jewish people.'
In an open letter to ErdoÄ?an on July 24, Jack Rosen, the president of
the American Jewish Congress, said the Turkish prime minister had
become `arguably the most virulent anti-Israel leader in the world.'
Erdogan, who is campaigning to be elected president next month, has
spoken out strongly against the ongoing military operations in Gaza,
accusing Israel of committing `genocide' and `barbarism surpassing
Hitler.'
Armenian News - Tert.am
From: A. Papazian
11:50 ¢ 26.07.14
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Israel of
preventing the transfer of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, in his
latest verbal salvo against Tel Aviv, Hurriyet Daily News reports.
`The barbaric massacre that Israel has launched in Gaza is going on at
full speed. The United Nations is silent about the massacre;
furthermore, it is encouraging Israel,' ErdoÄ?an said on July 25,
delivering a speech in the Central Anatolian province of EskiÅ?ehir
during the inauguration of the Ankara-Istanbul high-speed railway
line.
`You see those mothers, don't you? There are almost 800 martyrs in
Gaza. At the moment, we are having difficulty in sending even
humanitarian aid. We shall send medicine and food, but it [Israel] is
trying to prevent even that. But we will reach out to there sooner or
later,' he added.
In Cairo on the same day, after holding several meetings with US
Secretary of State John Kerry and Egyptian officials aimed at ending
the conflict, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate
`humanitarian pause' in the fighting in Gaza, lasting through the
Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
Erdogan, meanwhile, also suggested that an `immoral' smear campaign
had been launched against him both inside the country and abroad,
attempting to portray of him as an anti-Semite.
`They are conducting an immoral campaign by distorting our remarks
both inside and abroad and trying to show us as anti-Semitic. But I am
perhaps the first prime minister in the world to say that
anti-Semitism is a crime against humanity,' he said.
He also added, however, that European officials had so far been
reluctant to label Islamophobia as a crime against humanity in the
same way as anti-Semitisim.
The remarks came only a day after a Jewish American group asked
Erdogan to return an award it gave him in 2004, accusing the Turkish
leader of `dangerous rhetoric' and `inciting violence against the
Jewish people.'
In an open letter to ErdoÄ?an on July 24, Jack Rosen, the president of
the American Jewish Congress, said the Turkish prime minister had
become `arguably the most virulent anti-Israel leader in the world.'
Erdogan, who is campaigning to be elected president next month, has
spoken out strongly against the ongoing military operations in Gaza,
accusing Israel of committing `genocide' and `barbarism surpassing
Hitler.'
Armenian News - Tert.am
From: A. Papazian