US Jews Demand Erdogan Return Award after Gaza Comments
Thursday, July 24th, 2014
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
ANKARA (The Jerusalem Post)’An American Jewish organization is
demanding that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an return an
award it gave him a decade ago over his recent remarks on Israel’s
military operation in Gaza.
Calling him `arguably the most virulent anti-Israel leader in the
world,’ American Jewish Congress President Jack Rosen accused the
Prime Minister of `spewing dangerous rhetoric for political gain and
inciting the Turkish population to violence against the Jewish
people.’
Erdogan received the American Jewish Congress’ Profile of Courage
award in 2004 after making statements affirming his commitment to
protect Turkish Jewry, eradicate terrorism and broker a Middle East
peace deal.
`We want [the award] back,’ Rosen wrote Erdogan on Wednesday,
informing the head of state that his statements had not only done
`irreparable damage to Jewish-Turkish relations and put innocent
people at risk’ but had also caused him to forfeit his seat `at the
table of legitimate mediators working to end the current conflict
between Israel and Hamas.’
Erdogan’s stated views on the conflict are `abhorrent,’ Rosen declared.
Since Israel’s ground forces entered the Gaza strip last Thursday,
Erdogan has been among Israel’s harshest critics, calling it a `terror
state’ and accusing Jerusalem of perpetrating a `systematic genocide’
against the Palestinians.
Israeli barbarism, he stated, has `surpassed’ that of Hitler.
Yeni Akit, a pro-government newspaper in Istanbul, recently ran an
article by journalist Faruk Köse calling on Turkish Jews to issue a
communal apology on behalf of Israel while attacks on Israel’s embassy
and consulate in Ankara and Istanbul prompted Jerusalem to withdraw
some of its diplomatic staff.