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Last update - 09:15 24/01/2008
Israeli-Turkish relations tense as Erdogan says Qassams don't kill
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Gaza, Turkey, Israel, Qassam

Relations between Israel and Turkey have become very tense in the last two days, after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that no Israelis have been killed by Qassam missiles, while every Israel Defense Forces attack in the Gaza Strip kills dozens of Palestinians.

Senior Foreign Ministry officials Wednesday issued a protest to Turkey's ambassador to Israel, Namik Tan, and requested clarifications of Erdogan's remarks.

"Israel is very disappointed by Erdagan's statements in light of the friendly relations between the two countries. ... Israel expects a different response from a state that itself is fighting terror," a senior Foreign Ministry official told Tam, in conveying the official protest.
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In addition, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is expected to speak to her Turkish counterpart, Ali Babacan, and a phone conversation between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Erdogan is being contemplated.

Senior sources in Jerusalem expressed anger about Erdogan's comments.

Erdogan was critical of Israel's closing the Gaza Strip border as well as IDF operations in the area.

"The Palestinian territories are like an open-air prison, they are under siege from Israel," he said in a televised speech to lawmakers Wednesday.

He blamed Israel for the situation in Gaza: "The people of Gaza are facing a humanitarian tragedy," he said. "We cannot accept a practice that amounts to punishing nearly 2 million innocent people due to some rocket attacks. ... When we ask [our Israeli colleagues] how many Israeli citizens died as a result of these rocket attacks, we do not get an answer."


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      1.   Turks are correct 02:54  |  Faris 24/01/08
      2.   So Much For Our Turkish "Friends"? 03:14  |  massaraksh 24/01/08
      3.   AMAZING!!!!! 03:25  |  spectator 24/01/08
      4.   Moderate in Islam meaningless, Iran was moderate too 03:35  |  e.m.Jordan is Palest 24/01/08
      5.   Moderate in Islam meaningless, Iran was moderate too 03:35  |  e.m.Jordan is Palest 24/01/08
      6.   Spectator: It Would Be Better If He Talked About His Country 03:39  |  massaraksh 24/01/08
      7.   Kurdish Bombers targeting cafes 03:48  |  Yoav 24/01/08
      8.   Erdogan is right. 04:27  |  Deborah 24/01/08
      9.   turkishGenocide 04:28  |  Yaacob 24/01/08
      10.   Erdogan should meet with Olmert 04:41  |  Gene Warech 24/01/08
      11.   Turkey 04:50  |  Turkish Jew 24/01/08
      12.   Turkish Idiocy and Kassems 05:09  |  RK 24/01/08
      13.   hahahaahaha :) I love Haaretz!!! hahahaha :) 05:11  |  Assad-u-LLAH 24/01/08
      14.   #1 Faris in Shechem 05:15  |  Franco 24/01/08
      15.   13. well gee there franco all they wanted was an end to seige!! 05:25  |  Assad-u-LLAH 24/01/08
      16.   FARIS Can they kill? Are they meant to kill or a peace offering? 05:27  |  PETER SM 24/01/08
      17.   Too many Kurdish civilians get killed during the raids? 05:41  |  Jason 24/01/08
      18.   Israel has no friends, only accomplices 05:42  |  Natallie Durson 24/01/08
      19.   i just gotta ask all you zio-super smart people 05:53  |  Assad-u-LLAH 24/01/08
      20.   Time To Start Helping the Kurds? 06:15  |  massaraksh 24/01/08
      21.   it`s amazing !quassams did not kill israeli citizens... 06:17  |  maria 24/01/08
      22.   NDURSON ERDROGAN is an Islamist.The rest is your spin. 06:18  |  PETER SM 24/01/08
      23.   natallie durson....israel doesn`t need a lot of friends... 06:21  |  maria 24/01/08
      24.   Have Erdog shoot one on himself and see what happens 06:21  |  Dan 24/01/08
      25.   Now we have to apologize for protecting ourselves unlike Arabs 06:24  |  Dan 24/01/08
      26.   #13 Assad 06:27  |  Franco 24/01/08
      27.   Brought to you by the ones who say they didn`t kill the Armenians 06:27  |  Dan 24/01/08
      28.   What`s the Big Deal: "Tribalism is more ... 06:28  |  Brad 24/01/08
      29.   Think about it from another angle 06:30  |  Lon 24/01/08
      30.   Turkish Ministers and all of you that agree with him 06:39  |  Connie 24/01/08
      31.   #18 - What Natalie Doesn`t Know 06:45  |  Yitz 24/01/08
      32.   To Franco, it is Nablus not shechem 06:47  |  Faris 24/01/08
      33.   qassam 06:54  |  Palestinian refugee 24/01/08
      34.   TURKS = NAZIS. ARMENIAN GENOCIDE 07:16  |  don 24/01/08
      35.   Just wait Palestinian Refugee, for the next invention from HAMAS 07:18  |  Jacob Blues 24/01/08
      36.   26. well sure franco the all wise but admit my arabic is poor 07:18  |  Assad-u-LLAH 24/01/08
      37.   Operation No Thank You 07:20  |  Serge 24/01/08
      38.   FARIS Waiting for your first hand account of a Qassem bombardment 07:35  |  PETER SM 24/01/08
      39.   The answer is 12 07:38  |  Jon 24/01/08
      40.   Hamas is the problem Gaza has 07:40  |  Nechama 24/01/08
      41.   #31 Faris in Shechem 07:48  |  Franco 24/01/08
      42.   Dream Nattalie, Dream 08:06  |  Brad 24/01/08
      43.   qassam 08:09  |  brad 24/01/08
      44.   # 32 palestinian refugee 08:17  |  Dan 24/01/08
      45.   when is israel going to supply the kurds with modern weapons 08:51  |  v hardman 24/01/08
      46.   Erdogan mind yr business 08:54  |  TAL 24/01/08
      47.   israel is gradually losing the progress made... 08:59  |  eric 24/01/08
      48.   This is HYPOCRISY at its greatest!!!! 09:41  |  Andre Boniadi 24/01/08
      49.   He`s right though 10:11  |  Dan 24/01/08
      50.   Israelis have a problem living in the ME. Leave it. 10:15  |  American 24/01/08
      51.   #45 vpaul Hardmanharris. Supply and demand. 10:26  |  Maureen Ann 24/01/08
      52.   #11 You are correct 10:35  |  No Dope 24/01/08
      53.   So perhaps we should supply qassams to the Kurds 10:42  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 24/01/08
      54.   Faris from the new city 10:48  |  Iz Ray Leigh 24/01/08
      55.   Israel has no diplomats of merit, no talent at diplomacy 10:52  |  Clickfool 24/01/08
      56.   Disproportionate force 10:57  |  Hakan 24/01/08
      57.   ERDOGAN IS RIGHT: ISRAEL USE QASSAM EXCUSE TO GENOCIDE 11:00  |  TrippleJump 24/01/08
      58.   IT IS TRUE: Qassam don`t kill..... but slow motion genocide does 11:01  |  Eric 24/01/08
      59.   #51 moaning anne when did you read 30 million kurds have their ow 11:02  |  v hardman 24/01/08
      60.   We can`t afford to lose Turkey 11:03  |  Haim 24/01/08
      61.   WHY does the truth always hurt? 11:04  |  Tamar 24/01/08
      62.   Mubarak 11:07  |  Uzi 24/01/08
      63.   Hamas and innocence 11:14  |  Joseph 24/01/08
      64.   Turkey has responsibility 11:16  |  SJK 24/01/08
      65.   Turkey in the EU ? 11:23  |  Serge 24/01/08
      66.   Erdogan words 11:34  |  Oz 24/01/08
      67.   Time to recognize the Armenian Genocide 11:38  |  Slibovitz 24/01/08
      68.   Truth is: Kassam hit civialns while IDF hit terrorists 11:46  |  DDD 24/01/08
      69.   Israelis Have Been Killed by Qassams 11:51  |  Slibovitz 24/01/08
      70.   Let`s shoot quassams at turkish villages and towns 11:53  |  Joey 24/01/08
      71.   Erdogan Should Visit Gaza 11:58  |  Ali 24/01/08
      72.   #59. v harishardman - Occupied Oz you say? 12:00  |  Maureen Ann