Israeli FM likens Turkey to Iran

Foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman says Turkey is 'reminiscent of Iran' on the eve of Islamic revolution 30 years ago. Last Modified: 06 Jan 2011 10:17 GMT

Relations between Turkey and Israel reached an all-time low after Israel's deadly raid on a flotilla bound for Gaza [AFP] Israel's foreign minister has accused Turkey of anti-Israel incitement and likened the country to Iran on the eve of its 1979 Islamic revolution, saying Ankara's policies were to blame for the breakdown of ties with the Israel. "Unfortunately, recent events in Turkey are reminiscent of Iran before the Islamic Revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini," Avigdor Lieberman wrote in a commentary in Thursday's edition of the Jerusalem Post. "Like Turkey, Iran was among Israel's closest allies and the two nations held good relations between both governments and people." Lieberman offered to meet his Turkish counterpart as part of a "frank and honest dialogue" on how their alliance might be restored, but his text was strongly critical of the Turkish government. "The completely unilateral change in the relations is not reflective of our actions; rather it is the result of Turkey's internal politics," he said. Relations between the two former allies deteriorated sharply after Israel's 2007-2008 war on the Palestinian Gaza Strip, with Turkey denouncing Israel's conduct during the war. Ties hit an all-time low in May last year when Israeli naval commandos killed nine people from Turkey on board a Gaza-bound ship that tried to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza. Lieberman deplored what he described as the failure of the Turkish government to stem "hatred and incitement" in Turkey against Israel, and criticised Ankara for failing to respond to the "dreadful spectacle" of crowds welcoming the Gaza ferry back with chants of "Death to Israel." "The lack of condemnation for these outrageous scenes... makes it extremely hard for us to show restraint. We will not be a punching bag and will react, as any other sovereign nation, to such insults and abuse," he wrote. 'Outlaw IHH' Earlier this week, Lieberman urged the United States to outlaw the IHH, or Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief group behind the flotilla. The IHH is a prominent Turkish charity banned in Israel over its alleged support for Hamas, the movement which rules Hamas and appears on Israeli, US and European Union terrorist lists. A US diplomatic cable from December 2009 and published by WikiLeaks said a US treasury official who visited Ankara "raised concerns about IHH" and described it as "a large NGO providing material assistance to Hamas". Offer to lift Gaza seige Lieberman said on Wednesday that Israel will lift its siege on the Gaza Strip if the EU sets up a force to stop weapons smuggling into the territory, "The root of the problem ... is the never-ending smuggling of weapons into Gaza under the Egyptian border that fuels the terror activities against Israel," he told Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign policy chief, during her Israel visit. "If you want to see the siege lifted from Gaza you need take responsibility and set up a real, strong and effective force that will stop this smuggling," a statement from Lieberman's office quoted him as saying during a dinner meeting. This is not the first time Lieberman has proposed that a foreign force take control of the area, particularly Gaza's border with Egypt, that is riddled with hundreds of smuggling tunnels. The siege has been eased in recent months after Israel came under international pressure following a the deadly flotilla raid.

Source: Agencies