Erdogan: Israel to lose closest ally
By ASSOCIATED PRESS, JPOST.COM STAFF
LAST UPDATED: 06/03/2010 15:08
Turkish PM sharply criticizes Israel's reaction to ship raid.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Photo: Associated Press
Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sharply criticized Israel for its reaction
to the Mavi Marmara raid
Thursday saying that "Israel stands to lose its closest ally in the
Middle East if it does not change its mentality."
Erdogan argued that "Turkey tried to
preserve their relationship, but
the Israeli government did not understand this, and performed a
historical mistake."
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"This mistake is not only against Turkey, it is against civilians from
32 different countries," he said.
"Violent policies will not bring about a positive outcome, Erdogan
exclaimed. "We will not avert our eyes from violence like this," he
said.
US working with Turkey, Israel on raid aftermath
US President Barack
Obama spoke with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Tuesday
afternoon, stressing his “deep condolences” for the loss of Turkish life
during the incident and backing calls for a credible investigation,
according to a White House statement.
But he did not adopt the Turkish position condemning Israel for the
incident or urge an independent investigation, which Jerusalem opposes,
in a sign of the careful calibration of the administration’s response.
Obama’s call to Erdogan followed three phone conversations with Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu the day before, in which he expressed his
understanding for Netanyahu’s decision to cancel his planned visit with
Obama Tuesday and noted the importance of learning all the facts of what
happened before making judgments.
“Turkey and Israel are both good friends of the United States, and we
are working with both to deal with the aftermath of this tragic
incident,” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters Tuesday.