Turkish PM Welcomed Home After Israel Flap

Erdogan Stalked Out Of Davos Conference After Heated Exchange With Israeli President

(CBS/AP)  Turkey's prime minister received a hero's welcome home Friday after he reproached Israel's president over the Gaza offensive and stalked off the stage at the World Economic Forum.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was greeted by a jubilant crowd of more than 5,000 supporters, many waving Turkish and Palestinian flags, who flooded Istanbul's airport when his plane touched down about 2 a.m.

Some outside of the airport gate held banners that applauded his Palestinian stance in Davos. "The conqueror of Davos," one banner read.

Hours earlier, the Turkish leader and Israeli President Shimon Peres raised their voices and traded accusations in front of a packed audience at a World Economic Forum panel. Peres was passionate in his defense of Israel's three-week offensive against Hamas militants, launched in reaction to eight years of rocket fire aimed at Israeli territory.

As he spoke, Peres often turned toward Erdogan, who in his remarks had criticized the Israeli blockade of Gaza, saying it was an "open air prison, isolated from the rest of the world" and referred to the Palestinian death toll of about 1,300, more than half of those civilians. Thirteen Israelis also died.

"Why did they fire rockets? There was no siege against Gaza," Peres said, his voice rising in emotion. "Why did they fight us, what did they want? There was never a day of starvation in Gaza."

Erdogan was angry when a panel moderator cut off his remarks in response to an impassioned monologue by Peres defending Israel's offensive against the Hamas rulers of Gaza.

"I find it very sad that people applaud what you said," Erdogan said. "You killed people. And I think that it is very wrong."

Peres' and Erdogan's raised voices were highly unusual at the elite gathering of corporate and world leaders, which is usually marked by polite dialogue.

But this year's conference has not been void of contentious issues. Israeli election front-runner Benjamin Netanyahu told a Forum session earlier on Thursday that keeping nuclear weapons out of Iran's hands was more important than the economy because the financial meltdown is reversible - and a nuclear Iran wouldn't be.

Erdogan's angry exchange with Peres followed an hour-long debate at the forum attended by world leaders in Davos. Erdogan tried to rebut the Israeli leader as the discussion was ending, asking the moderator, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, to let him speak once more.

"You kill people," Erdogan told the 85-year-old Israeli leader. "I remember the children who died on beaches. I remember two former prime ministers who said they felt very happy when they were able to enter Palestine on tanks."

When Erdogan was asked to stop, he angrily stalked off, leaving fellow panelists U.N. Secretary-General Ban-Ki moon and Arab League Secretary Amr Moussa.

"When it comes to killing, you know it too well," the Turkish leader said.

When the moderator tried to cut short Erdogan's remarks, saying it was past time to adjourn for dinner, he answered in frustration, "Don't interrupt me. You are not allowing me to speak."

He then said: "I will not come to Davos again."

In brief comments at Istanbul's airport, Erdogan said he had been insulted. "My responsibility is to protect the honor of the Turkish nation." He added that Peres called him before he left Davos and expressed his regrets.

The heated debate with Israel and Turkey at the center was significant because of the key role Turkey has played as a moderator between Israel and Syria.

During the debate, Erdogan appeared to express a sense of disappointment when he recounted how he had met with the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert days before the offensive, and believed they were close to reaching terms for a face-to-face meeting with Syrian leaders.

Obama's new Mideast envoy, George Mitchell, will be in Turkey for talks Sunday.

Ultimately, Erdogan stressed he left not because of a dispute with Peres but because he was not given time to respond to the Israeli leader's remarks. Erdogan also complained that Peres had 25 minutes while he was only given 12 minutes.

"I did not target at all in any way the Israeli people, President Peres, or the Jewish people," Erdogan told a news conference afterward.

"I am a prime minister, a leader who has specifically, expressly stated that anti-Semitism is a crime against humanity," he said.

Moussa, a former Egyptian foreign minister, said Erdogan's action was understandable.

"Mr. Erdogan said what he wanted to say and then he left. That's all. He was right." Of Israel, he said, "They don't listen."

Erdogan brushed past reporters outside the hall. His wife appeared upset. "All Peres said was a lie. It was unacceptable," she said, eyes glistening.

"I have know Shimon Peres for many years and I also know Erdogan. I have never seen Shimon Peres so passionate as he was today. I think he felt Israel was being attacked by so many in the international community. He felt isolated," said former Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik.

"I was very sad that Erdogan left. This was an expression of how difficult this situation is."

[jane1112]

drmaqazi

This is an interesting piece of information.
Do you have more details about the Free At Last issue? Issue number, year, page, etc.?

[biblethumpar]

I Guess the world needs to throw a Party for these Zionistas in Spain soon...

[neoconrcrazy]

""Why did they fire rockets? There was no siege against Gaza," Peres said"


how about that for a bald-faced (and head) lie....

or do the gazans build tunnels just for fun?

shalom

[jane1112]

No,no. Shimon Peres is not a neocon fascist: He is an old fascist and has been so all of his life

[neoconrcrazy]

Peres has become a neocon fascist in his old age....

it''s a sorry scene to watch - shalom

[jane1112]

Earth5621.
Oh dear oh dear. You show your ignorance of history and yet refuse to give me a five for the valuable history lessons I am giving you.
No my dear. The people of Gaza, or the rest of Palestine for that matter originate from the Canaanites, the oldest known tribes to have settled in ancient Palestine. When the Jews were evicted from Egypt and went to Palestine, some of those Canaanites converted to Judaism, and then when Jesus, who was a Palestinian Jew, came with his revelations, some of those same Canaanites converted to Christianly. The same thing happened when the Moslems took over Palestine some 1,400 years ago. In the meantime, Palestine had been ruled over by diverse people: Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, Arabs, Turks, and Europeans (Crusades). So Palestine was a melting pot and Palestinians are a mixed race. They can be blond, Semitic looking (Jewish or Arab), or have semi-African features like the inhabitants of the Nile delta.
The most racially %u201Cpure%u201D Jews are those who have stayed in Palestine, Yemen and the Levant. The majority of European Jews are descendants of what Arthur Koestler called the 13th tribe, which consisted of the inhabitants of the Caucuses region who in the 9th and 10th centuries converted to Judaism primarily for reasons of expediency, such avoiding military conscription. That is why for those European Jews to claim the right of return to Palestine on the basis that they are descendants of the old Israelites is completely false.

[jane1112]

Earth5621

Oh dear oh dear. You show your ignorance of history and yet refuse to give me a five for the valuable history lessons I am giving you.

No my dear. The people of Gaza, or the rest of Palestine for that matter, originate from the Canaanites, the oldest known tribes to have settled in ancient Palestine. When the Jews were evicted from Egypt and went to Palestine, some of those Canaanites converted to Judaism, and then when Jesus, who was a Palestinian Jew, came with his revelation, some of those same Canaanites converted to Christianly. The same thing happened when the Moslems took over Palestine some 1,400 years ago. In the meantime, Palestine had been ruled over by diverse people: Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, Jews, Romans, Arabs, Turks, and Europeans (Crusades). So Palestine was a melting pot and Palestinians are a mixed race. They can be blond, Semitic looking (Jewish or Arab), or have semi-African features like the inhabitants of the Nile delta.
The most racially %u201Cpure%u201D Jews are those who have stayed in Palestine, Yemen and the Levant. The majority of European Jews are descendants of what
Arthur Koestler called the 13th tribe, which consisted of the inhabitants of the Caucuses region who in the 9th and 10th centuries converted to Judaism primarily for reasons of expediency, such avoiding military conscription.

[jane1112]

earth5621

Obviously I shouldn%u2019t give you the honour of a reply but I do not want to act like the Israelis who cowardly apply collective punishment on defenceless civilians. I will explain, since I am sure your limited intelligence will not enable to work out what I mean. What I mean is that you do not deserve an answer, but the rest of the posters do.

In fact the majority of European Jews have refused to immigrate to Israel despite of all the moral blackmail and financial temptations which the Zionist state had orchestrated. That is why in order to populate the land it has stolen from the Palestinians, Israel shifted its propaganda campaign to poorer regions of the world such as North Africa, Ethiopia, India and the ex Soviet Republics. That is why you now find in Israel people of doubtful Jewish identity. Certainly, racially speaking, the native Palestinians who had lived in that land since time immemorial are more likely to have Jewish ancestry than those new immigrants. Also note that 3 out of 4 Jews live outside of Israel because Judaism is a religion, not a nationality.

You should give me a five for this free lesson in history?

[ephd]

Burning and mutilating little children so they cam steal more land from these defenseless people.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by iseetruth1 at 10:46 AM : Jan 30, 2009
+ report abuse

Why allow Israel into Gaza? The Israelis would fill the strip with illicit street drugs, kiddie prostitutes, smut, potent liquor, and gambling. The morality of the community should not be compromised.

Posted by Petro49L at 10:44 AM : Jan 30, 2009

Unbelivable the lies that people who hate israel will propagate. If this last war was meant to steal more land, why did Israel withdraw from Gaza and take no land? Surely you don''t think they "lost" as the nutty Hamas claim? And why would Israel bring kiddie prostitues into Gaza, who said this is a huge problem in Israel? I have read many of the posts against Israel and the more I read the more entrenched I become in support of Israel. I realize just how perverted the Islamic view of Jews and Israel is, and I realize why Israel must defend themselves. If I knew someone hated me soo passionately and had such a perverted view of me I would be high alert and meet any attack (e.g., hamas missiles) with a full onsluaght as well.

[ephd]

the killings did not start now in the 1940s the Palestinian families suffered huge atrocities at the hands of Jewish immigrants, including many pregnant Palestinian Arab women having their wombs ripped open and their babies slaughtered before their very eyes. This was one of the many horrible crimes committed against Palestinians, even by such notable political figures as former Prime Minister of Israel Menachem Begin, The terrorism committed by Jewish immigrants against Palestinian Arabs in the late 1940''''s is a major reason for why many Palestinian Arabs fled their homes and land and became refugees.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by gronzy52 at 10:08 AM : Jan 30, 2009

That is BullSh*t. Did not happen. Please cite evidence of your story. What you are doing is making up lies in the hope that Americans will believe it on sight and support the Palestinians.