TURKEY ISRAELI ENVOY COMPARES KURDISH, PALESTINIAN "TERRORISM"

Anatolia News Agency
March 4 2008
Turkey

Ankara, 4 March: Israel’s ambassador in Ankara, Gabby Levy, said
[on] Tuesday [4 March] PKK [KurdistanWorkers’ Party] terror resembles
Hamas terror.

"We must fight against terror whether it is in north of Iraq or Gaza,"
Levy said.

Levy told a press briefing at Ankara’s Swiss Hotel that "from a
perspective of population density andmilitary, there are differences
between north of Iraq and Gaza. However, talking about similarities,
Israel believes in the universality of terror. We do not differentiate
among terror. We believe PKK terrorism resembles the terrorperpetrated
by Hamas. Terror is evil and, whether it is in north of Iraq or Gaza,
we must fight againstterrorism."

"In the recent past, the number of missile attacks on Israeli
settlements around Gaza increased dramatically.There are allegations
that Israel is using excessive force and that civilians have died. It
is true the number ofcasualties Hamas claims was exaggerated,"
Levy noted.

Comparing the incidents of 1915 to the developments in Gaza, Levy
indicated that the incidents lived in 1915 werelimited to a geographic
area and that Armenians living in Istanbul, Izmir, Aleppo and Jerusalem
were not affected.

"Likewise, there are Palestinians living in West Bank. We have not
taken any measures against them as the regionis peaceful. There were
tragic incidents in Turkey in the World War I. There were casualties
among Armenians and Turks. However, Armenians living in other regions
of Turkey were not affected. Israel does not believe that a genocide
tookplace in Turkey," Levy stressed.

"Turkey has played a constructive role in relations between Israel
and Palestine," Levy also said.