PM, president send Erdogan sympathies on mom's death

Netanyahu sends letter via diplomatic channels; Peres relates to his sorrow: "From personal experience I know the deep sense of grief."

By HERB KEINON
Erdogan's mother's coffin 311 R (photo credit: REUTERS/Osman Orsal)
Erdogan's mother's coffin 311 R
(photo credit: REUTERS/Osman Orsal)
Apparently trying to use humane gestures to crack Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s enmity toward Israel, both Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres sent letters of condolences in recent days on the loss of his mother.
Erdogan’s 83-year-old mother, Tenzile, died on Friday.
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Netanyahu sent a letter of condolences through diplomatic channels to Erdogan on the day of her passing.
On Sunday, Peres also sent a letter.
“The passing of your beloved mother was received with much sadness,” Peres wrote. “From personal experience I know the deep sense of grief, of feeling like an orphan, and the boundless sorrow of your loss. Please accept my profound condolences and sympathy in this time of mourning.”
Erdogan stormed off a stage he was sharing with Peres in Davos, Switzerland in January 2009, shortly following Operation Cast Lead, and shouted at him, “When it comes to killing, you know how to kill.”
One government official said Israel would like to see an end to the deterioration in ties between the two countries, and believes a positive relationship serves the interests of both sides.
“We repeatedly are seeking to try to stem the negative flow and to try to establish a more positive dynamic in the relationship,” he said.