israel tells Erdogan: don’t become Chavez

Turkish PM integrating into Arab world at Israel’s expense, official says.

Israel, in a sharply worded response to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s latest rhetorical slam, advised him on Monday night “not to turn into another extreme leader such as Hugo Chavez.”

Erdogan should not try to integrate his country into the Arab world at Israel’s expense, a Foreign Ministry official said, in a rare direct response to one of Erdogan’s now almost routine attacks on Israel.

The official, reading from a ministry response, said Israel was not looking for a confrontation with any country, including Turkey. But, he said, the impression being created is that Erdogan wants to integrate his country into the Arab world “on Israel’s back.”

“We suggest he look for a more creative way to integrate both into the Muslim and Western worlds,” the official said, and “not to turn into another extreme leader such as Hugo Chavez.”

The official said Israel hoped that in light of Erdogan’s professed concern for Muslims all around the world, he would express sorrow at the long line of murders of innocent Pakistanis and Iraqis by terrorist organizations.

The official’s response came when he was asked for a reaction to Erdogan’s comments on CNN-Turk on Monday, in which the Turkish prime minister, discussing the recent tension in Jerusalem, said Ankara would come to the defense of Muslims around the world.

“We cannot be indifferent to the problems of the Islamic world or Jerusalem,” he said. He added that although Turkey was interested in integrating into the Western world, it has not turned its back on the East. “Arabs and Turks are brothers and we share the same values,” he said.

Turning to Gaza, Erdogan said the situation there was inhumane.

“We cannot watch the murder of children in Gaza with indifference,” he said. “We worry about the Gaza children, but our hearts are also for the children of Haiti and Chile.” More

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They said the decision was taken in line with the recommendations of a commission of inquiry which had, however, found Rafiq al-Husseini not guilty of "exploitation of public office for personal benefit or blackmail.