Exports to Turkey remain strong, at $100m a month

As long as the number of Turks with good education, intellect and common sense like you are on the rise and are lauding their voice in their communities and the media there is still hope that Turkey will get back to its proper path which Ataturk intended it to be. But just remember that you are opposing a very tough competition. They are using or rather misusing / exploiting religion, distributing care packages - coal, beans and rice etc - with money obtained from Green capital sources as well as taxpayer money, they believe that lying is MUBAH (acceptable) in reaching their destination. You must be careful not to fall in their trap but also you must teach others also not to fall into it. 8 Years ago in Gurcesme neighborhood (Used to be a poor workers leftist area) of Izmir AKP distributed expensive pressure cookers before elections but did not give them the top lids. They said that only if they win the elections in Gurcesme they would give them the lids. Yo must explain the poor people that a gift from election to election does not make them live better but a good education, social reforms can improve their lives. You have a tough fight to win. Good luck. Just for you to know: I am doing my small part here in NY by talking to my representative and senators about Turkish politics and who to support.

Israel has no right to ban ships setting sail to Gaza, it is not Israeli territory. The flotilla was comprised of many nations, including German Members of Parliament. Holding Erdoğan responsible for the incident means Israel is entitled to raid ships and murder people at high seas. Israel has no such right, therefore being in opposition camp does not give any one right to accuse his/her government by taking any opportunity, whatever it is. A person must have some patriotism in himself/herself.

When we read that vial reply with insults given to my post below one can easily understand that there are two Turkey's The one that is made of the AKP supporters whose intellect can not go beyond the worst insults and the intellectual modern Ataturk'cu Turkey where you belong.

@AylaAkman You may know better since you live in Turkey, but let me tell you how Kemalism is seen outside, especially in academic environment. Till 1950s there was only one political party, and this party was claiming to be democratic and modern. They did not allow any other party to get involve 30 years.

Once a second party (of adnan menderes) pop up, they took the government in the first election with a huge victory and then a military coup and executed him. These things were all done by the name of kemalism. After that till 1980s, there had been a military coup in each decade, all were done for securing the kemalism. Do you think it is different from todays' dictator Iranian government? There has been three democratic and liberal governments in modern Turkish history. First one was Mr Menderes who was executed (what a shame for turkey), second one was Turgut Ozal, and third one is current Erdogan government. Only difference in Erdogan government from the previous ones is, they resist harmful Israel policy. Now Israelis started propoganda to blame government converting Turkey to a shariah country which really doesnt make sense. What they did is to provide freedom to any identity available in the country including Muslims Kurds Christians jews. But this freedom to muslims are frightening some people who thinks they are gonna convert the country. I go turkey 2-3 times a year to turkey for business. As I see, some people are really and innocently worrying that country is systematically being converted to shariah by government. These types of worries happened in all other countries who were in a transition from dictatorship to democracy. Soviet communists were blaming their government to sell russia to westerns during 1990-2000s. In 1950s when the black peoples rights are in consideration in US, a lot of Yankees were thinking country will be taken over by blacks and they were claiming that US is losing its identity. Conversion to democracy is painfull, and turkey is facing with that right now.

MISAFIRPERVERLIK as you call it. Dutring the AKP rule we saw the Turkish MISAFIRPERVERLIK as well as KARA GUN DOSTLUGU and MERTLIK traditions die in exchange of a few dollars. AHHH Ataturk Ahhh wher are you?

He is just another idiot. you are welcome anytime:)

And yet you owe a lot of money to the west including IMF. Not to mention that during the Ottoman rule minorities payed taxed while Muslims were exempt. And after the Turkish republic was founded a tax called varlik Vergisi was brutally imposed only to minorities.

You use to show the half of the thing. Under Ottoman rule minorities payed tax but they were excluded from military service, the military service was mandatory for the Muslims. I am sure you know this detail, and find it meaningful you do not mention it. Why are you doing this? I too believe Varlik Vergisi was a big fault. I guess you once lived in Turkey and then emigrated to Israel. I wish the Turkish Jews would not have emigrated in the past but continued staying at Turkey.

I also served in the Turkish military. My farther served two times. Once the real service the second was what was called 20th draft (20ci kura) which was in reality a labor camp. During the Ottoman empire minorities dod not serve in the military but not because they payed taxes rather because they were considered as second class subjects not trust worthy Kafirs. Even today an Armenian Turk who has passed all the qualifications to become a public servant a year ago can not get a government job. Do you know whay most Turkish Jews emigrated out of Turkey? Please rad 1936 Kirklareli incidents, Varlik Vergisi and the 20th Draft, 1955 September 6-7 ( I remember this one as I lived through it), the kidnapping and murder of Efraim Elrom, The weekly anti Israel and Anti Jewish demonstrations by th eBir Gun news paper, the politics and words of Erbakan, Harun Yahya, the murders of dentist yasef yahya, Uzeyir Garih.

As far as I know, the minorities served in Ottoman army as auxiliary units (engineers, doctors etc.) not combat units. And they were so few. Even your new country once gathered Japanese Americans in concentration camps in WW2. And also Arab citizens of Israel are exempt from military service. You see unfair practices are also common in the US and Israel. Why Turkey is the only to blame? By the way I was discussing the Turkish behaviour to paying his debt, but you took me up to completely in another point. Good day...

NOT only intimidation but also murdering 9 peaceful protesters by IL in international waters, pirating their ships by IDF, lower seat offered to the Turkish Ambassador, strip searching Turkish citizens at Ben Gurion airport. There are many more reasons for which Turkiye should drop Israel as an rotten apple.

People chanting death to israel together with the sound of Tekbir carrying disk cutters to be used to cut steel rods from the deck of a ship in order to attack IDF are not considered as peaceful in civilized world. But inTurkey where even a friendly football match betwen galatasaray, Fenerbahce, besiktas ends up with the stadium burned I guess the meaning of peaceful is different then what we understand in the west.

Dear davud sen bir orospu oglusun lan, Having Israelis created the Gaza strip as an open jail for many years for more than 1,5 million Pal refugees and continuing to deprive them from the very basic needs including free movement, education out of Gaza, medical treatment abroad, not allowing anything inside the strip due to IDF blockade, 9 people of mavi marmara were murdered in cold blood by up to the teeth armed IDF. So Davud if those 9 people who offered their lives to ease the suffering of 1,5M Gazans then how come that there were so many western citizens on board the flotilla? It is not the western way of understanding of peaceful but your Israeli way I guess. Layla tove min Jerushalym ve iyi akshamlar

The first sentence written in Turkish a one of the mot vial insults that has no place in any civilized discussion and if it were in English Haaretz would have never published it. It only shows the lack of intellect of some Turkish people. They have no valid point to make therefore they use the dirtiest curses. I hope Haaretz publishes this post of mine. After all I have been insulted in the worst possible way and deserve at least a few words to rebottle.