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Angry Muslim ally sides with Hamas

Israel’s relations with Turkey, its closest Muslim ally, are in crisis as a result of the Israeli offensive.

January 8, 2009 13:43
2 min read

Israel’s relations with Turkey, its closest Muslim ally, are in crisis as a result of the Israeli offensive.

As thousands of Turks took to the streets of Istanbul and other cities to condemn Israel’s action, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed Israel for dealing what he called “a fatal blow” to Turkey’s mediation efforts between Israel and Syria and called Israel’s action a “crime against humanity”.

He also expressed anger that, just days before the assault, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, on a visit to Ankara, had promised that “there would not be a humanitarian tragedy in Gaza”.

Addressing his party’s parliamantary group, Mr Erdogan defended Hamas, saying “we cannot possibly side with the tyrants, Israel” and continued: “Allah will… punish those who transgress the rights of the innocents.”