Turkey's Erdogan slams Israel as 'persecutor'

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has slammed Israel as a "persecutor" that has launched attacks against Gazan civilians.

"Turkey has never, in its history, been on the side of persecutors, it has always defended the oppressed," Erdogan said without directly naming Israel in a speech in the central city of Kirsehir on Saturday.

"Turkey has not hostility against any country, but ... we are against injustice," AFP quoted Erdogan as saying.

Erdogan had earlier called for the alleged Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip to be reviewed in the UN Security Council.

A UN inquiry, led by former South African Judge Richard Goldstone, detailed what investigators called Israeli actions "amounting to war crimes, possibly crimes against humanity," during Israel's winter offensive against the Hamas-ruled Gaza.

"We will definitely take the position to discuss this issue on the Security Council," Erdogan had said.

"We're in favor of opening discussions on the Goldstone report. The guilty party should be identified and face the necessary sanctions," he added.

Turkey is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Last week, Turkey excluded Israel from a joint air force drill in protest to the Israeli war crimes during its offensive in the Gaza Strip earlier this year.