Israel Matzav

Pigs fly: Netanyahu calls Erdogan an anti-Semite, Zany Zehava blasts Erdogan too - UPDATED WITH VIDEO

Israeli politicians across the political spectrum have decided that they don't care how much President Hussein Obama loves Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. They are going to call a spade, a spade.

Prime Minister Netanyahu called US Secretary of State John FN Kerry on Saturday night to complain about Erdogan's anti-Semitic comments, and even Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On has gotten into the act, blasting Erdogan as well.

After years of publicly restraining himself regarding Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told US Secretary of State John Kerry that the words of the leader of Washington’s close NATO ally were anti-Semitic.

According to diplomatic officials, Netanyahu spoke to Kerry overnight on Sunday about the Gaza operation, and said that Erdogan's anti-Semitic comments profaned the memory of the Holocaust.

Erdogan, in the midst of a presidential campaign, said on Saturday that “Those who condemn Hitler day and night have surpassed Hitler in barbarism.”

...

Meretz head Zehava Gal-On was withering in her criticism of Erdogan, calling his comments “appalling” if they were written in the form of a “talkback” to an article on the Internet, and all the more so when uttered by the head of a state, especially a state with diplomatic ties with Israel.

She said that it seems that because of the presidential election Erdogan has lost “control.” Nevertheless, she said, there can be tolerance for a person who thinks he can use his status as the representative of the Turkish people “to spread ugly and baseless lies.”

Gal-On, who points out that she has criticized the use of force in the current operation, said that a leader who “is able to look his citizens in the eye and claim Israel is committing genocide is despicable, vile and irresponsible.”

Israel's foreign ministry has urged Israelis to avoid 'non-essential' visits to Turkey.

UPDATE 5:49 PM

Here are Netanyahu's remarks.

Let's go to the videotape.

Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu, John Kerry, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish anti-Semitism, Turkish obsession with Israel, Zehava Gal-On

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:14 PM