Israeli minister lashes out at Erdogan, suggests Turkey coup was staged
"We do not need explanations from the world on what is the right thing to do," said Yoav Galant.
By JPOST.COM STAFFUpdated: MAY 15, 2018 15:06Yoav Galant, Minister of Construction and Housing(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Security cabinet member Yoav Gallant (Likud) lashed out angrily at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday after he called Israel a "terrorist state" over its actions on the Gaza border."You're speaking about a murderer of hundreds of Turkish citizens, who staged a rebellion in order to arrest half of his government? He'll teach us about morality?" said the housing and construction minister in an interview with Radio 103.Turkey"s Erdogan equates deadly Gaza violence to "genocide," May 14, 2018 (Reuters)"[Erdogan] is a dangerous man and his support for our enemies does not surprise me. We do not need explanations from the world on what is the right thing to do," he added.The Turkish president said Monday that Israel had been carrying out "genocide and occupation" since 1948.Those killed, Erdogan said, were civilians practicing their democratic rights. He gave his "condolences to the martyrs" and reiterated Turkish support for their "Palestinian brothers and sisters."Gallant also criticized Erdogan's domestic policies relating to his own population. When asked to expand on his comment that the Turkey coup of 2016 was staged, Gallant responded that he sees "the entire thing as one big provocation.""To arrest hundreds without trial in a country that Ataturk brought from being hundreds of years behind to one advancing the European front, is that reasonable? And to propagate hate between the country's population and some of its citizens, is that reasonable?" said Gallant."Erdogan promotes a policy stating that it will bring peace and quiet with Turkey's neighbors, but in reality Turkey has reached a situation of all-out dispute - from Greece to Syria, and with European countries too."Erdogan called for three days of mourning in solidarity with those killed by the IDF in Monday's protests, which coincided with the dedication of the US Embassy in Jerusalem, and announced that Turkey would be recalling its ambassadors to both the US and Israel.Shoshana Kranish contributed to this story.
