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PM Erdoğan: Israel is about to lose an important friend
“Those policies would not benefit anybody, especially Israel. Israel should review its approach immediately,” Erdoğan said, speaking to the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM) at Ankara’s Rixos Hotel.
Erdoğan said Israel’s policies have reached the point that they even threaten Israel itself.
“Israel should immediately review its policies. We don’t have a problem with the Israeli public. We and the rest of the humanity have a problem with the Israeli administration,” Erdoğan said in regards to Tel Aviv’s deadly response on Monday to pro-Palestinian activists in a Turkish-flagged vessel carrying aid to Palestinians in the blockaded Gaza Strip.
The prime minister said that the Israeli government “should check” itself.
“We have made an effort to keep our friendship. But the Israeli government couldn’t maintain it and made a historic mistake. And it did not do so only against Turkey but against the people of 32 countries. There were no weapons on the ships, just humanitarian aid,” he said.
He added that he called several countries’ leaders to share what Turkey feels about what happened with the Israeli raid on the flotilla.
The prime minister noted that he has said on many occasions that anti-Semitism is a crime against humanity.
“In my county, I won’t allow Jewish people, whether diplomats, citizens or tourists, to face any different treatment. Their safety is our responsibility. They are in our safe custody. This is our understanding,” Erdoğan said in an attempt to reassure Jewish people who are in Turkey or who are coming to Turkey.
But he was harsh in his remarks as he noted that anti-Semitism should not be exploited.
“There is no longer any credibility given to attempts to cover up massacres by exploiting anti-Semitism,” he said and added that the Turkish government supports peace and security in the region.
“We will show our common sense and honorable reaction to those who try to destroy our desire for a peaceful region. … Our motto is ‘Peace at home, peace at world’,” Erdoğan said, citing a popular phrase by Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
“If we raise our voice for Gaza, if we try to do something for Jerusalem, this is not because of a shift of our policy axis. This is to stop bloodshed and bring peace to the region. We are not after fame. We just want humanity, law and justice,” Erdoğan also said.
In response to questions about why Turkey is meddling in affairs related to Iran, Erdoğan pointed out that Turkey is a member of the United Nations Security Council. “We are not a tribal state. We need to be aware of our power. We need to be self-sufficient.”
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