Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Jan 17 2009

Gül, ErdoÄ?an lash out at Israel for ongoing Gaza assault

President Abdullah Gül has said he is "ashamed on behalf of
humanity" because of Israel’s offensive against the Gaza Strip. "I
feel ashamed on behalf of humanity about what’s happening. I feel
sadness about the world’s silence and inability to secure a cease-fire
in an environment where so many children have died," Gül said
in Ankara.

Gül also expressed that Turkey has made "great efforts" to
elicit a cease-fire. "Turkey has acted proactively as if these things
would happen, but unfortunately they could not be prevented," he
said. "Everyone should help to bring about a cease-fire. There would
be great instability if the current situation goes on. That
instability would be carried on to later generations."

The president said Turkey is doing everything it can on both a
regional and United Nations level, in addition to helping transfer
humanitarian aid to Gaza. "The situation is dangerous. All positive
developments, from the Annapolis Conference to all the others,
suddenly turned out to be useless. They have been destroyed," he said.

President Abdullah Gül has said he is "ashamed on behalf of
humanity" because of Israel’s offensive against the Gaza Strip.

"I feel ashamed on behalf of humanity about what’s happening. I feel
sadness about the world’s silence and inability to secure a cease-fire
in an environment where so many children have died," Gül said
yesterday in Ankara.

Gül also expressed that Turkey has made "great efforts" to
elicit a cease-fire. "Turkey has acted proactively as if these things
would happen, but unfortunately they could not be prevented," he
said. "Everyone should help to bring about a cease-fire. There would
be great instability if the current situation goes on. That
instability would be carried on to later generations."

The president said Turkey is doing everything it can on both a
regional and United Nations level, in addition to helping transfer
humanitarian aid to Gaza.

"The situation is dangerous. All positive developments, from the
Annapolis Conference to all the others, suddenly turned out to be
useless. They have been destroyed," he said. Gül also called
out to the incoming US administration.

"Knowing that there are more than 1,000 dead and that one-third of
these are children and allowing the situation to go on is very
dangerous. Following a cease-fire, it is necessary to establish a
system in which Palestine and Israel can live side by side and a
Palestinian state can be established without further problems. There
is much for the new American administration to do," he said. "From
Afghanistan to Africa and Iraq, the underlying cause of the crisis in
the world stems from Palestine."

He recalled Israel’s attack on Beirut in 2006. "Such pains cannot be
repeated every two years. Are we going to have something like this in
two years? Neither the region nor the world can carry that weight."

ErdoÄ?an: Lo teer tsakh

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an told Israel "not to kill"
after Israeli forces shelled the UN headquarters in the Gaza Strip on
Thursday, engulfing the compound in fire.

Reading from the Old Testament, ErdoÄ?an recited the sixth of
the Ten Commandments:

"In English ‘You shall not kill,’ in Hebrew ‘Lo teer tsakh’." Calling
Israel’s recent attack against a UN building, "defying the world and
mocking the world," ErdoÄ?an asked, "How can such a country
defying UN Security Council resolutions enter the doors of the UN?"

Speaking at his Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party)
headquarters in Ankara, ErdoÄ?an added that 10 wounded
Palestinians from Gaza were brought to Turkey and that he had visited
them. "Our Palestinians brothers are living under the threat of
phosphorus bombs. We have a young woman who lost her 1-month-old
baby. Nine people from her family have been martyred so far. But she
told us, ‘Even if we don’t receive any food aid, we would take our
nourishment from the leaves of the trees and would continue our
struggle to the end’."

ErdoÄ?an also stressed that Israeli soldiers target civilians
rather than military command centers. "Israel hit the Palestine Red
Crescent’s hospital, a UN refugees’ building and a building where
members of the media were staying. How can we explain that? Even wars
have to follow rules," he said.

The prime minister also claimed that the world’s media is under the
control of Israel. "If they broadcast or published objectively, then
the issue would be seen from a different viewpoint [around the world],
but everyone is silent in the face of this mercilessness."

Another point ErdoÄ?an made was about the silence of the Islamic
world, the United Nations and the European Union. He said he would
voice his opinion about the issue during his visit to Brussels on
Jan. 18-19.

"So far Israel has not complied with about 100 UN resolutions. They
are used to it," he said.

Recalling that anti-Semitism is a crime against humanity, he mentioned
that Jews had been "welcomed" in Turkey five centuries ago even though
they had not been welcomed in Europe.

He also referred to a recent event in which members of the Federation
of Osman Gazi Cultural Associations posed with placards on which they
had written "No Jews or Armenians allowed here" and "Dogs allowed,"
apparently in response to the ongoing Israeli military offensive in
Gaza.

"Everyone who is under the flag of this country is our first-class
citizen. The Jewish citizens in my country have an honorable stance on
this issue. All minorities, Armenians, Jewish people, Greeks and
Christians are under the protection of the Turkish Republic and the
government. It is not correct to emotionally attack such citizens of
our country."

In the meantime, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, who returned to Turkey
yesterday after completing a tour to Balkan countries, also directed
criticisms at Israel for its ongoing assaults on Gaza. "Israel needs
to see the red light from some countries," he said, adding that the
priority issue for Turkey was the maintenance of a cease-fire in the
region. "Everyone should see there is not even a single minute which
can be lost [to act for Gaza]. Israel needs to get this message from
some countries."

17 January 2009, Saturday
TODAY’S ZAMAN WITH WIRES Ä°STANBUL