Erdogan plays out anti-Israel routine during UN speech

Turkish PM says Israel "has seriously wronged" Turkey and its people; reiterates demand for 'Marmara' apology, lifting of Gaza blockade.

By JORDANA HORN, JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT
Erdogan at UNGA 311 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Erdogan at UNGA 311
(photo credit: REUTERS)
NEW YORK – In an animated speech, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke out vehemently against Israel and put the blame for the current Israel-Turkey tension solely on the shoulders of the Israeli government.
Calling Turkish support for a Palestinian state “unconditional,” Erdogan said that “it is necessary to put pressure on Israel to achieve peace.”
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“What you face today is not a simple equation of peace for security,” he said. “You must read the newly flourishing political and human geography in the Middle East.”
A new approach was necessitated by the changing political climate created by the Arab Spring, he said.
Citing May 2010’s Mavi Marmara incident, Erdogan said that Israel “has seriously wronged a country and its people.”
“Israel must apologize, pay compensate to the families of our martyrs, and lift the blockade on Gaza,” he said.