07/06/2010 A week after the Israeli massacre against a Gaza-bound Turkish ship, which left nine people martyred, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan assured Syrian President Bachar Assad that the Israeli enemy will pay for its massacre.
At a joint press conference in Istanbul with Assad, Erdogan said that his government was prepared to supply the Gaza Strip with "everything it needs," adding that Israel's blockade of the Gaza strip must end immediately.
"What happened on the flotilla is a crime against humanity," Erdogan said, referring to the Israel Navy raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship last week that left nine Turkish nationals dead. "Palestine and Gaza are a giant prison and this situation cannot continue," he said. "We can no longer remain silent and we will not be silent anymore regarding anything having to do with Gaza.
Assad said in turn that the Israeli raid was not just another crime, but a crime that exposes Israel's true face. "We came to Istanbul to condemn Israel's crime," Assad said. "We are not just people who talk and issue declarations of condemnation. We are in favor of actions, and we declare that we will support every decision and every step that Turkey requests in order to break the blockade, including support of an international inquiry."
"It is clear to the world that the peace activists arrived with a goal of peace," Assad added. "The whole world, including Israel, knew in advance that it was a Turkish boat, sailing under a Turkish flag. Israel always commits crime, but it has always accused those it killed of terrorism. This time, Israel cannot accuse its victims of terror."
Earlier Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the normalization of Turkish-Israeli relations - severely strained after the deadly raid – would depend upon Tel Aviv's acceptance of an international inquiry into the event. "If Israel gives the green light to the formation of an international committee and is ready to answer questions of the committee, Turkish-Israeli relations will have a different course. Otherwise, Turkish-Israeli relations cannot be normalized,"
Davutoglu told a press conference in Istanbul. "If Israel thinks it has protected its national interests and rights, it should declare that it accepts formation of an international committee. Otherwise, it means that they are hiding some facts," he added, speaking on the sidelines of a summit of a 20-member Eurasian security group, where Turkey was seeking to condemn Israel.
Turkey to close down an Israeli intelligence station near Iranian border?
Turkey to close down an Israeli intelligence station near Iranian border?
I remember when the most important 'listening post' was in the Shah's Iran!
"... Israel has rejected much of the criticism of Operation Sky Winds, but the Israeli defence establishment, long friendly with the Turkish military, is extremely worried. Turkey’s government, itself religiously based, has aligned itself with public anger. Reports to the Israeli defence ministry indicated that it might close down an Israeli intelligence station based on Turkish soil, not far from the Iranian border.“If that happens,” said a well-informed Israeli source, “Israel will lose its ears and nose, which watch and sniff the Iranians’ back garden.”It would mean that Israel’s botched Gaza blockade had weakened its defences against the much graver threat of an Iranian nuclear bomb.
Posted by G, Z, or B at 11:42 AM
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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