Israel also decided to further reduce its diplomatic entourage in Turkey, which is already small following Turkey's expulsion of Israel's ambassador following the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident.
[jpost.com]
18/7/14
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Related:
Israeli military starts ground operation in Gaza. (new phase of Operation "Protective Edge")
The Israeli military has begun a ground offensive against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, extending its 10-day-old Operation Protective Edge....
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Israel reduces diplomatic presence in Turkey over protests...
ReplyDeleteIsrael said it was reducing its diplomatic delegation in Turkey to the "minimum required" on July 18 after violent pro-Palestinian protests which it linked to Ankara's public criticism of Israel.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Turkish police had failed to provide adequate protection for Israel's embassy and its consulate in Istanbul in a "blatant breach of diplomatic regulations" and that envoys' families were being repatriated.
Riot police fired tear gas and used water cannons (TOMA) on July 17 to disperse demonstrators who pelted the Israeli diplomatic missions in Ankara and Istanbul with stones, in protest at Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza, as several Turkish deputies rallied in support of Gazans.
The protest in Istanbul started at 01:30 a.m. in front of the Israeli consulate in the Levent neighborhood. Demonstrators waved Turkish and Palestinian flags, chanting slogans such as “Hail to the resistance from Istanbul to Gaza,” “Murderer Israel, get out of Palestine” and “Strike, strike Hamas; strike against Israel.”
A group among the protesters climbed the wall of the consulate at 02:30 a.m. and smashed the building’s windows with sticks and stones. Police intervened as they attempted to break the door to enter the consulate. The group was dispersed with TOMAs and tear gas, before briefly pelting the police with stones. A second attack on the consulate was again avoided by police intervention..................http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/israel-reduces-diplomatic-presence-in-turkey-over-protests-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=69298&NewsCatID=341
Abbas Seeks Support in Turkey ...
ReplyDeleteThe leader of the Palestinian Authority Mahmud Abbas is scheduled to visit Turkey Friday, amid an ongoing ground offensive by Israel in Gaza. The ruling AK Party has strong ties with Hamas, but is facing accusations of meddling in cease-fire efforts. Friday saw renewed protests in Turkey against Israel.
Palestinian authority leader Abbas’s visit to Turkey is part of a short tour of regional countries and is being seen as an effort to consolidate support for the Palestinians amid an ongoing offensive by Israeli forces in Gaza................http://www.voanews.com/content/abbas-seeks-palestinian-support-in-turkey/1960505.html
Leading international Jewish rights NGO issues travel advisory for Turkey...
ReplyDeleteThe Simon Wiesenthal Center, a leading international Jewish rights NGO, has issued a travel advisory, labelling Turkey’s current climate as a “prescription for disaster" in reference to the pro-Palestinian protests that led the Israeli government reduce its diplomatic presence in Turkey.
"Recent acts of violence, rioting, threats and insults against Israel and Jews--including Turkey's historic Jewish community--by national leaders and personalities, are prescriptions for disaster," Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Wiesenthal Center and Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the Center's associate dean, said in a statement released on July 18.
"When Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip) Erdoǧan falsely describes Israel's self-defense against Hamas as 'genocide'; when calls for the elimination of Jews are backed by the mayor of Ankara; when a popular Turkish singer tweets that it will be 'Muslims who will bring an end to those Jews' and 'May God bless Hitler', it cannot be business as usual," the Rabbis charged.
"For hundreds of years, Turkey has served as a safe haven for Jews who were fleeing from persecution and intolerance. It is tragic that today the world is witnessing the scapegoating of Turkish Jews—people who have no input or influence over any actions taken by the state of Israel," Hier and Cooper continued in the statement.
"Finally, we call on NATO Secretary General (Anders Fogh) Rasmussen to denounce the anti-Jewish campaign in Turkey. NATO was created to defend democracies and freedom, not bullies and bigots," the Rabbis concluded.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/leading-international-jewish-rights-ngo-issues-travel-advisory-for-turkey.aspx?pageID=238&nID=69337&NewsCatID=359
18/7/14