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Last update - 12:46 31/01/2009
Report: Turkish PM Erdogan says 'Palestine today is an open-air prison'
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Israel News, Israel, Turkey 

Fresh off his public spat with President Shimon Peres in Davos, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to make waves in the murky waters of Middle East diplomacy, slamming Israel's policy of boycotting Hamas in Gaza.

Jerusalem has effectively turned the coastal area into "an open-air prison," Erdogan said in an interview with the Washington Post.

In remarks reported by the Post on Saturday, the Turkish premier said Israel and Syria were "very close" to initiating direct peace talks just days before the start of the Israel Defense Forces offensive in the Gaza Strip.
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Erdogan also revealed that it was he who arranged a secret meeting in Istanbul two years ago between the foreign ministers of Israel and Pakistan, the nuclear-armed Muslim country which does not have diplomatic ties with Jerusalem.

According to the prime minister, Turkey was awaiting a reply from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert regarding Israel's position on peace talks with Syria, which had been mediated by Ankara. On the night of December 23, Erdogan said Israel and Syria were "very close" to moving to direct peace talks on the future of the Golan Heights.

"We were trying to be [Israel's] hope," Erdogan told the Post. "Olmert's last sentence [as he left] was, 'As soon as I get back I will consult with my colleagues and get back to you.' As I waited for his response, . . . on December 27, bombs started falling on Gaza." Erdogan denied his anger at Israel stems from Olmert's failure to inform him of the impending Gaza operation.

Erdogan, who offered Ankara's services in negotiating the release the kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, reiterated his fierce criticism of Israeli policy towards Hamas.

"The world has not respected the political will of the Palestinian people," the premier told The Washington Post. "On the one hand, we defend democracy and we try our best to keep democracy in the Middle East, but on the other hand we do not respect the outcome of . . . the ballot box. Palestine today is an open-air prison. Hamas, as much as they tried, could not change the situation. Just imagine, you imprison the speaker of a country as well as some ministers of its government and members of its parliament. And then you expect them to sit obediently?"

"There had not been any casualties in Israel since the cease-fire of June 2008," Erdogan said. "The Israelis claim that missiles were being sent [from Gaza]. I asked Prime Minister Olmert, how many people died as a result of those missiles? ...The United Nations Security Council makes a decision, and Israel announces it does not recognize the decision. I'm not saying that Hamas is a good organization and makes no mistakes. They have made mistakes. But I am evaluating the end result."

"We have a serious relationship [with Israel]," Erdogan told the Post. "But the current Israeli government should check itself. They should not exploit this issue for the upcoming elections in Israel."

Peres called Erdogan on Friday following the blow-up at the World Economic Forum in Davos in a bid to soothe the tensions.

On Thursday, Erdogan stormed off the stage after he was cut off by the forum moderator and barred from responding to Peres' defense of Israel's 22-day offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Turkish media outlets reported that Peres had apologized to Erdogan during their five-minute phone conversation, but Peres' office denied the report, saying that the purpose of the telephone call was simply to ensure that the "crisis won't deteriorate."

Erdogan received a hero's welcome upon his return to Istanbul on Friday.

Peres: Arab critics of Hamas fearful of speaking out

In an interview with CNN, Peres said many of the Arab states who publicly slammed Israel during its offensive in the Gaza Strip last month have privately approached him and urged Jerusalem to "bring an end to them."

"[T]he people who support [us], in my judgment, are the majority [and they] are silent," Peres said on the sidelines of the Davos gathering. "They are afraid to appear publicly. There is a double-standard reaction to what we did there [in Gaza]."

"Israel is not against Gaza, not against the Gazan people," Peres told CNN. "We don't think we destroyed Gaza. We think Hamas destroyed Gaza. We left Gaza completely. We supply them daily all the time, water, fuel. The story about that we tried to cut the supplies to Gaza is simply a story."

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      1.   With such a friend as erdogan, israel doesn`t need Assad 10:30  |  Vittorio 31/01/09
      2.   That will explain why Hamas fired so many missiles. 11:06  |  Stephen. 31/01/09
      3.   `how many people died as a result of those missiles? ` 11:14  |  Joseph.E 31/01/09
      4.   gang of liars 13:12  |  daniel 31/01/09
      5.   From a Syrian 13:13  |  Sami 31/01/09
      6.   Notorious brutality of Turkish military 13:20  |  msh 31/01/09
      7.   Gaza and the West Bank ARE open-air prisons 13:20  |  Pete 31/01/09
      8.   U r correct #3 13:25  |  Liat 31/01/09
      9.   # 3 Joseph.E.....excactly right 13:38  |  yehuda 31/01/09
      10.   Israel should DO what Turkey does 13:42  |  CK Tan 31/01/09
      11.   wise words from Sami in Syria 14:10  |  yehuda 31/01/09
      12.   Syria... 14:14  |  busetibi 31/01/09
      13.   read the turkish press erdogan is vilified 16:03  |  v hardman 31/01/09
      14.   Come on Shimon, be a man about it 16:43  |  Ussishkin 31/01/09
      15.   It`s what he has to say to gain EU admission 16:46  |  steve from Raleigh 31/01/09
      16.   Prison 16:53  |  Arie 31/01/09
      17.   As I am a Turk 16:54  |  mehmet 31/01/09
      18.   Turkey under Erdogan an open air prison for seculars 16:55  |  David Israel 31/01/09
      19.   Ussishkin 17:54  |  Brad 31/01/09
      20.   Turkey is just the start. 17:56  |  sama 31/01/09
      21.   READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE UNCUT PLS FROM WPOST 17:56  |  Dan Barak 31/01/09
      22.   Palestinian democracy and responsibility 17:57  |  David Plane 31/01/09
      23.   #3 how many people died as a result of those missiles? ` 17:58  |  Mo 31/01/09
      24.   Sami 17:59  |  Brad 31/01/09
      25.   Hamas missiles full of ball bearings 18:00  |  Anonymous 31/01/09
      26.   #18 David Israel 18:05  |  Chris Linthwaite 31/01/09
      27.   No wonder whay there is no lasting peace in the MiddleEast! 18:26  |  loyalfriend 31/01/09
      28.   Turkey is just the start 18:29  |  loyalfriend 31/01/09
      29.   don`t travel to turkey anymore 18:32  |  avi 31/01/09
      30.   ottaman empire was much much worse than so call palistian suffer 18:45  |  Hagop 31/01/09
      31.   #17 Mehmet : as you are a Turk , please ... 18:46  |  Jacob 31/01/09
      32.   Erdogan must show tolerance to Kurds 18:50  |  *BEN JABO 31/01/09
      33.   #18 18:57  |  Sukru 31/01/09
      34.   Chris L. Israel already under scrutiny 19:14  |  David Israel 31/01/09
      35.   Palestinian Responsibility? 19:14  |  Murat 31/01/09
      36.   Mo Don`t compare Israel with Turkey 19:17  |  Aby 31/01/09
      37.   Bravo 19:23  |  Haqmoun 31/01/09
      38.   How do you define `prison`? 20:03  |  Mark Lincoln 31/01/09
      39.   Palestine "Open-air prison"??? 21:02  |  Sanders 31/01/09
      40.   To some people here the truth seems to be ... 21:20  |  Edith 31/01/09
      41.   Turkey and Armenian people 21:44  |  Joe Notsixpack 31/01/09
      42.   Suku 21:54  |  Alex 31/01/09
      43.   Do compare! 22:06  |  Murat 31/01/09
      44.   Peres and crocodile tears 22:13  |  David 31/01/09
      45.   Turkey 22:16  |  kad 31/01/09
      46.   # 45 kad 23:36  |  Axel 31/01/09
      47.   arabs privately aproached peres,lol. 23:45  |  billy jack 31/01/09
      48.   I recognize a guy loosing a debate when I see one 23:56  |  Comforti 31/01/09
      49.   # 23 Mo in Hebron 00:00  |  Joseph.E 01/02/09
      50.   P.M. Erdogan 02:22  |  Yvonne 01/02/09
      51.   Hypocracy by Turkey! 06:18  |  Alex 01/02/09
      52.   Hypocracy by Turkey! 06:21  |  Alex 01/02/09
      53.   If Turkey wants to throw stones 06:38  |  *BEN JABO 01/02/09
      54.   Open prison dangerous just for those with cellphones. 09:50  |  Leon 01/02/09
      55.   Enough! 09:53  |  Duru 01/02/09
      56.   turkey 09:53  |  lazaz 01/02/09
      57.   # 56 EU and Erdogan 10:49  |  Turk 01/02/09
      58.   Erdogan 10:55  |  MarkC 01/02/09
      59.   Mehmet, have to been to Cyprus lately? 12:24  |  Zev Davis 01/02/09
      60.   The Turkish Prime Minister is so right ... 12:38  |  Dutch 01/02/09
      61.   Liar president of civilized country 12:51  |  Stevo 01/02/09
      62.   They told me to do it..... 13:02  |  elj 01/02/09
      63.   #49 17:41  |  Mo 01/02/09
      64.   More Pope than the Pope 19:38  |  Nora 01/02/09
      65.   #62 20:22  |  Sam 01/02/09
      66.   # 38 - Mark Lincoln 20:27  |  Sam 01/02/09
      67.   41 joe 22:54  |  sd 01/02/09
      68.   Tayyip Erdogan 00:00  |  Osman 02/02/09
      69.   Duru - Why can`t you speak up? 01:35  |  David Israel 02/02/09
      70.   turkey 06:19  |  samil 17/02/09
      71.   Armenian Genocide 23:39  |  Ceko 20/02/09
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