Turkish PM: Israel Could Lose Turkish Friendship

(WARNING): Article contains propaganda!

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February 7, 2010

Israel should consider “what it would be like to lose a friend like Turkey,” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned.

Erdogan made the threat last Sunday in an interview with Euronews, according to reports.

“We have important ongoing agreements between us,” the Turkish leader said. “How can these agreements be kept going in this climate of mistrust? I think Israel had better take another look at its relations with its neighbors if it believes it is a world power.”

Erdogan referred in the interview to the treatment of his country’s ambassador by Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, who called in the envoy earlier this month and publicly humiliated him over a Turkish television series that portrayed Israeli soldiers as baby killers.

He added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu committed a diplomatic faux pas by saying recently that he does not trust Erdogan, but rather puts his trust in French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

“We have done our best for Israel-Syria relations, but now we see Benjamin Netanyahu saying ‘I do not trust Erdogan, but I trust Sarkozy’. Do you have to give a name? This is diplomatic inexperience, too, because when you say this … How can I trust you if you say you don’t trust me?” Erdogan told Euronews.

The relationship between Turkey and Israel has deteriorated since last winter’s Gaza war, when Erdogan criticized Israel’s actions against Hamas.

Berlusconi Feels Pain of Shoah Victims, Gaza Palestinians

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi expressed his empathy for Israel and the Palestinians during the final day of a three-day visit to Israel.

“Today, the safeguarding of Israel’s safety and its right to exist as a Jewish state is an ethical choice and a moral decree against the possibility of the return of anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial and a loss of memory by the West,” Berlusconi said during an address Wednesday to Israel’s Knesset.

Later, during a visit with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem, Berlusconi said, “Just as it’s right to cry for the victims of the Shoah, it’s right to show pain for what happened in Gaza.”

Earlier in his visit, the Italian leader said that his visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial “was like being punched in the stomach.”

During the visit, Berlusconi and seven of his ministers held a joint Cabinet meeting with their Israeli counterparts.

Berlusconi noted in his address in Italian the strong ties between Jerusalem and Rome, saying that “Italy is like a big brother to Israel.”

“We are fighting and will continue to fight together with you against every instance of anti-Semitism in Europe and around the world,” Berlusconi said. “We will also stand with you in Israel’s struggle for peace and security, and work to establish democracy in nations throughout the world and defend freedom as inalienable requirements for every human being.”

Berlusconi called for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, noting that the two parties, as well as the European Union, the United States and the West’s most important allies were in agreement over the need for a negotiated settlement for two states.

The Goldstone report “tried to incriminate Israel for its justified response to Hamas rockets,” Berlusconi said, amid applause from the lawmakers. “We are proud that Italy knew how to act when Haifa, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem were bombed.”

During his visit, Berlusconi also called for Israel to be admitted to the EU.

Berlin Holocaust Memorial Architect Wins Wolf Prize

The American who designed the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin was one of two architects recognized with a 2010 Wolf Prize.

The selection of Peter Eisenman, as well as British architect David Chipperfield, to receive the prize in architecture was announced Wednesday.

Eisenman designed the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin in memory of the Jews of Europe who perished in World War II. Inaugurated in 2005, the memorial is situated south of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, the site of the Third Reich’s headquarters, which housed Adolf Hitler’s office.

He also designed The City of Culture of Galicia, Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and the Wexner Center at Ohio State University.

Chipperfield designed Berlin’s Neues Museum, as well as London’s River & Rowing Museum and the Museum of Modern Literature in Marbach, Germany.

The Wolf Prize is awarded yearly in the arts, in rotation, in architecture, music, painting and sculpture. The $100,000 prize will be conferred by Israeli President Shimon Peres during a special session of Knesset on May 13.

The Israel-based Wolf Foundation was established by the late German-born inventor, diplomat and philanthropist Dr. Ricardo Wolf, who served as Cuban ambassador to Israel from 1961 to 1973.

Source: Baltimore Jewish Times.
Link: http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/news/jt/israel_news/turkish_pm_israel_could_lose_turkish_friendship/16921.