?Î?R?Î?¤, Greece
Feb 14 2009
Turkish-Israeli Ties Sour Further
Ties between Turkey and Israel soured further on Saturday, after the
statements by Israeli General Avi Mizrahi. Turkey summoned Israel’s
ambassador over Mizrahi’s comments, which it dismissed as
"unacceptable."
Answering to the criticism Israel came in for, Mizrahi said that
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogna should have "looked in the
mirror" before slamming Israel for its offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli General meant that the Turkish Premier should have first
addressed his country’s issues, including the conflict with the Kurds,
the massacres and the displacement of the Armenian people between 1915
and 1917 by the Ottoman Empire that killed more than one and a half
million people. Turkey, on the other hand, claims that the dead ranged
between 300,000 and 500,000, denying it was genocide.
The Turkish Army also blasted the Israeli general’s comments as
excessive and unacceptable.
Turkish Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdogan systematically criticized
the Israeli offensive in Gaza, souring the ties between the two
nations, which singed a military cooperation deal in 1996.
Source: Reuters
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