Erdogan: We Will Not Remain Silent If “Israel” Attacks Gaza Again

Local Editor, 07-04-2010

Tension rises again in the Turkish-"Israeli" relations due to the Zionist reply to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statement in which he stressed that Turkey will not remain silent in case "Israel" launches another aggression on the Gaza Strip.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that "Israel" is the "principal threat to peace" in the Middle East, marking a new low in rapidly deteriorating relations between "Israel" and Turkey.

He condemned the Jewish State's use of disproportionate force and phosphorous shells during its January 2009 offensive against Gaza that left 1,400 Palestinians dead and destroyed thousands of homes.

Erdogan said "Israel's" justification for the assault was based on lies, citing the UN Goldstone report that accused Tel Aviv and the Hamas Movement of committing war crimes during the Gaza offensive.

The Turkish PM also pointed the finger at "Israel's" own undeclared stock of nuclear warheads, arguing that the fact that it had not signed the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) should not exempt it from international safeguards.

He reiterated his opposition to imposing sanctions on Iran for its nuclear drive, saying that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) did not find any evidence that incriminates Tehran of secret nuclear weapons program.

Turkish-"Israeli" relations are already strained since "Israel's" Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon gave Turkey's ambassador a public dressing down in January to protest a Turkish television series that showed Israel in bad light.