Breaking: 5 dead, 10 injured in car bomb attack in Ankara - UPDATED
Five people have been killed and 10 injured in a
car bomb attack in Ankara.
The explosion took place near a Turkish
military dormitory.
More to follow.
UPDATE 11:42 PM
There are now
28 dead and 61 wounded. But no one in Turkey knows that. The Turkish government, which is blaming the Kurdish PKK, has placed a
ban on publication.
I'd say it's far more likely the Russians, and that Erdogan has learned well from his Best Friend Forever Obama, who wishes he could ban publication of his
politically inexpedient moves.
Labels: Ankara, Islamic terrorism, Turkey
Israel pulls all diplomats from Turkey, blames Erdogan for violence
In the wake of
violent riots outside Israel's diplomatic installations in Turkey, Israel has pulled its entire diplomatic staff from the country. Our government is blaming President Hussein Obama's Best Friend Forever - Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan - for the violence.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman announced Friday that he would be
retracting much of the Israeli embassy staff in Turkey following the
senseless riots, citing safety concerns and growing anti-Israel
incitement from the Turkish leadership.
"Foreign Minister (Avigdor) Lieberman issued a statement... following the demonstrations and instructed the Israeli consulate and embassy to reduce their diplomatic staff in Turkey," an Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman told AFP, without stating the numbers concerned.
Liberman instructed the Foreign Ministry to clarify to the Turkish government that such incitement is unacceptable.
"Israel protests strongly this violation of diplomatic relations,
including the Vienna Convention and others, which have been encouraged
by the Turkish authorities during these protests," he said. "We
attribute the responsibility for the safety of Israeli citizens and
embassy staff on the Turkish government."
The move follows a number of inflammatory and anti-Semitic hate slurs
from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has become
increasingly vocal against Israel after the IDF moved to protect
millions of Israelis from Hamas rocket fire.
Read the whole thing. I don't know why any Jew would want to visit - let alone live in - Turkey.
Labels: Ankara, Avigdor Lieberman, Binyamin Netanyahu, Istanbul, Operation Protective Edge, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey, Turkish anti-Semitism, Turkish obsession with Israel
IHH threatens Turkish Jewry
A violent demonstration targeted the Israeli embassy in Ankara on Thursday night, as the IHH terror organization - the group behind the Mavi Marmara terror ship - threatened to exact
revenge for what is going on in Gaza from Turkish Jewry (Hat Tip:
Joshua I).
The head of the IHH terror-tied humanitarian NGO behind the infamous
Mavi Marmara Flotilla, Bulent Yildirim, told local television station
Haber Turk that “Turkish Jews will pay dearly” for Israel’s actions.
“Israel is acting like a spoiled child,” Yildirim said. “Jewish
tourists, don’t dare come to Turkey. Tonight and tomorrow we are going
to hold a different kind of protest, we do not have patience anymore.”
“The Zionists are putting the future of the Jews in danger, we can not hold back our youngsters anymore,” he said.
At the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul and the Israeli Embassy in
Ankara crowds of protesters gathered and shouted anti-Israel slogans.
“Fight! Martyrdom!” they were heard saying in Istanbul. Protesters
attempted to enter the building where the Consulate is located three
times and lit a fire nearby. Haber Turk described the scene as a
“battlefield environment” and rioters were seen throwing stones and
bottles at police.
The protesters include members of the Turkish government.
In Ankara an Israeli flag was removed by rioters and replaced by
Palestinian and Turkish flags.
Police were able to push the crowd back
at times. Among the rioters were some of the ruling Justice and
Development Party’s (AKP) parliament members, according to local
reports. After some time, police used tear gas to confront the
protesters.
Ankara’s mayor, Melih Gökçek was quick to add fuel to the flames,
tweeting about the Embassy, “It will be taken… The despicable murderers’
Consulate has to be kicked out of Turkey. We do not want an Embassy in
Turkey of the murderers!”
A Turkish Jewish activist who is familiar with the situation on the ground told The Algemeiner that the environment is not safe for Turkish Jews.
“The Turkish Jewish Community which has been living in Turkey
peacefully for over 500 years, is in grave danger for their lives after
the escalation of the events in the Middle East,” he said.
I've been to the States twice in the past two months. People there kept telling me how they're getting cheap fares to Israel by flying Turkish Air via Istanbul. I have to wonder why. I'd rather pay a little extra money to be safe and not take the risk of being stuck in Istanbul in this environment.
Labels: Ankara, Hamas, IHH, Istanbul, Turkey, Turkish obsession with Israel
