Turkey slams Arab response to Gaza plight

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the leaders of the Arab states for their inadequate response to the Palestinian's plight under the three-year Israeli blockade on Gaza.

Shortly before flying to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, Erdogan denounced Arab leaders' inadequate response to Palestinian suffering as "pitiful."

"The governments have failed to display the reactions that the world's Muslims expected from them. And this has been a pitiful aspect of the matter," Erdogan said.

An outspoken critic of Israeli policies, Erdogan, left the country as Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak made a one-day visit to Ankara in an attempt to mend relations with Turkey, strained after a diplomatic row.

In a memorable outburst last year, Erdogan stormed out of a debate at the World Economic Forum, accusing Israel of "barbarian" acts and telling its President Shimon Peres, sitting next to him, that "you know well how to kill people."

Barak's trip was the highest-level bilateral visit since Israel's December 2008-January 2009 war on the Gaza Strip prompted the criticism from Ankara.

Ankara, however, said relations with Tel Aviv will continue to suffer unless Israel ends "the humanitarian tragedy" in Gaza.

Tension between the two sides further escalated when Tel Aviv summoned Turkish Ambassador Ahmet Oguz Celikkol to reprimand him over a TV program that showed Israeli agents kidnapping children and shooting old men.

Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon reportedly 'humiliated' Ambassador Celikkol during the meeting prompting Ankara to call for an official apology from the Israeli side.

"Barak is an important figure in Israeli politics and both [Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet] Davutoglu and [Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi] Gonul will give the same message, 'such kind of events should not happen again,'" a senior Turkish diplomat told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

He said Ankara will continue to press for an end to Tel Aviv's blockade of the Gaza Strip and resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians during Barak's visit.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=116396§ionid=351020204.