Turkey is “a regional hub for terrorism,” Israeli envoy tells UNSC
The Israeli envoy condemned Turkey's military incursion into northeast Syria and its attacks on the Kurds and charges that Turkey’s actions have strengthened ISIS.
By TOVAH LAZAROFFIsraeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, and Turkish envoy to the UN, Feridun Sinirlioglu, clashed at the meeting of the Security Council, October 28 2019(photo credit: JERUSALEM POST)
Turkey is a “regional hub for terrorism,” Israel’s envoy told the United Nations Security Council on Monday, as he exchanged barbs with Ankara’s envoy Feridun Sinirlioglu.“For years now [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan has been destabilizing the region through violence and supporting terror organizations,” Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon told the 15-member UNSC in New York.Sinirlioglu in turn charged that Israel’s government had been “hijacked by a terrorist state of mind.”Danon who initially took the floor stated that, “Erdogan is dragging Turkey down a dangerous, neo-Ottoman, imperialist path” and added “Erdogan has turned Turkey into a regional hub for terrorism.”The Israeli envoy condemned Turkey’s military incursion into northeast Syria and its attacks on the Kurds and charges that Turkey’s actions have strengthened ISIS.“It was not enough for Erdogan to persecute the Kurdish citizens of his own country. He now sends his troops to massacre Kurdish people in Syria as well. He is responsible for the death of many innocent people, and for the displacement of tens of thousands,” Danon said.“While he was busy murdering those who have helped keep the world safe from the threat of ISIS, he allowed ISIS members to break out of prison and subject the world to future attacks. This, too, should come as no surprise, as Erdogan has a long history of supporting terror,” Danon said.Similarly, he said, Erdogan has provided political and financial support for the terror organization Hamas.“He has turned Turkey into a safe haven for Hamas terrorists and a financial center for funneling money to subsidize terror attacks,” Danon said.He spoke also of the Iranian roles in advancing and promoting terror, including its support for Hezbollah.
The Israeli envoy called on the UNSC to publicly label terror organizations and halt funding to them. Host countries must oust terror groups and if all else fails, military action must be taken against them, Danon said.Sinirlioglu charged that the UNSC should change the name of its meetings on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, to “the situation in the Middle East including the suffering of the Palestinian people in the hands of a government which sponsors terror. Or if you want to be more precise, we can call it ‘the situation in the Middle East including Israel’s crimes against humanity.’”The Turkish envoy continued, stating that at each of these meetings the Israeli envoy presented falsehood. “We had to listen to delusional excuses by the representative of this government of terror as to why killing a child in line with international law,” the Turkish envoy stated.“Those who advance their career over the dead bodies of children should not lecture Turkey on human rights,” he said.
