Israel gets stinging criticism from Turkey; Pals in poverty grip

By: Ahmed Hammadi

HELD JERUSALEM: Israel’s only Muslim ally -Turkey - has strongly criticized it saying Israel is killing innocent Palestinians indiscriminately and failing to contribute to the peace process.

In an interview, published Thursday in a major Israeli newspaper, Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Israel is treating Palestinians the same way Jews were treated 500 years ago, when they were persecuted and driven out of Spain.

It is unusually harsh criticism, especially coming from a close ally.

Erdogan told to the daily Haaretz newspaper Turkey hoped to use its traditional role in the Middle East and its close ties to Israel to act as mediator and advance peace efforts. But, he said the Israeli government has not contributed to peace.

For the second time in just over a week, Erdogan likened Israeli actions against the Palestinians to what he called state terrorism. He specifically criticized the use of helicopters to kill civilians - children, women, and the elderly - and bulldozers to demolish Palestinian homes.

Turkey and Israel have close military and economic ties, and last week they concluded an $800 million deal to build natural gas power stations in Israel.

Erdogan said Turkey has an obligation to speak out as a friend and ally of Israel's. He said countries must work together to fight global terrorism. But it is wrong for any country to say, in his words, I am strong and can name anyone I want as a terrorist and kill them.

Separately, the UN's International Labor Organization (ILO) has warned Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories is strangling the local economy.

A recent ILO mission to the West Bank and Gaza found that disruptions to transport and labor were a bar to investment and production. The ILO says one-third of Palestinian workers are unemployed, and almost two-thirds live below the poverty line. This in turn could intensify violence, the agency warned.

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