Erdogan calls Netanyahu 'terrorist' as insults fly after Gaza deaths

[webfact]

Erdogan calls Netanyahu 'terrorist' as insults fly after Gaza deaths

 

FILE PHOTO: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan waves during a news conference near Varna, Bulgaria, March 26, 2018. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov/File Photo

 

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu a "terrorist" on Sunday, escalating an exchange of insults that started after he criticised Israel's lethal military response to a demonstration on the Gazan border.

 

Israel has defended the killing of 15 Palestinians during Friday's demonstration and Netanyahu tweeted that the Israeli army "will not be lectured by those who have indiscriminately bombed civilian populations for years", referring to Turkey.

 

Erdogan told supporters on Sunday: "We don't have the shame of invading on us, Netanyahu. You are an invader and right now are present in those lands as an invader. At the same time, you are a terrorist."

 

In another speech he said: "You are a terrorist state. It is known what you have done in Gaza and what you have done in Jerusalem. You have no one that likes you in the world."

 

In a later tweet, Netanyahu said: "Erdogan is not accustomed to being answered back to, but he should start getting used to it. He who occupies northern Cyprus, encroaches on Kurdish territory and massacres civilians in Afrin cannot preach to us on values and morals."

 

Israel's defence minister has rejected calls for an inquiry into Friday's events.

 

Hamas, the dominant Palestinian group in Gaza, said five of the dead were members of its armed wing. Israel said eight of the 15 belonged to Hamas, designated a terrorist group by Israel and the West, and two others came from other militant factions.

 

(Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen and Ori Lewis in Jerusalem; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-04-02

[zyphodb]

Well after what he's been getting up top in his own country this is the pot calling the kettle black...

While I agree that Netanyahu and his predecessors are at the least war criminals over what they've done to the Palestinians, It's hard to see Erdogen as any better...

 

[stevenl]

They're both terrorists.

 

But in Israel at least there are some checks and balances.

[nausea]

2 hours ago, zyphodb said:

this is the pot calling the kettle black

The very words that sprung to my mind on reading the headline.

[maximillian]

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

They're both terrorists.

 

But in Israel at least there are some checks and balances.

 

For Palestinians, too ?

[Bluespunk]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Erdogan calls Netanyahu 'terrorist' as insults fly after Gaza deaths

Who gives any credence to what a genocide denying, civilian bombing, authoritarian, human rights abusing scum bag, who also denies the rights of Kurds to establish their own nation, thinks?

 

Well, not me for a start...

Edited April 2, 2018 by Bluespunk

[stevenl]

9 minutes ago, maximillian said:

 

For Palestinians, too ?

To a certain extend, yes.

[maximillian]

4 minutes ago, stevenl said:

To a certain extend, yes.

Really ?  Hardly, after their land had been occupied by the Zionists, their rights limited, their dignity damaged, their people humiliated and killed by the thousands...

[Morch]

11 minutes ago, maximillian said:

Really ?  Hardly, after their land had been occupied by the Zionists, their rights limited, their dignity damaged, their people humiliated and killed by the thousands...

 

Checks and balances - as in the Prime Minister not being a de-facto dictator, as there being a judiciary not completely under the thumb of the government, as the opposition not being cowed to silence, as the press being free to report on related matters, and as there being Israeli organizations supportive of Palestinian views. State of things "somewhat" different in Turkey.

[maximillian]

Thanks for the lesson, Mr.Morch

[Expatthailover]

Like Trump calling Pinnochio a liar.

The gall of these 'leaders'

[observer90210]

Erdogan is no saint, but one absolutely cannot say he is wrong in this statement..........globally put, both are equally bad.....and as long the world has such people in power, our friendly neighborhood arms dealers, have no reason to worry for their business....

Edited April 2, 2018 by observer90210

[chippendale]

9 hours ago, zyphodb said:

the pot calling the kettle black

 

6 hours ago, nausea said:

The very words that sprung to my mind on reading the headline.

 

But that's raaaycist !!

[JemJem]

Gees ! For how long more will Netanyahu and Erdogan be allowed to get away with their crimes ?!

 

It is a big shame that both these countries have various important factors that they use (sadly successfully) to their advantage :

 

Israel : the very strong pro-Israeli lobby in the US.

 

Turkey : the refugee card that Erdogan has been using against the EU, especially in the past 2-3 years.

 

Also, of course, there are various business and military deals to consider.

 

Sad !

[Morch]

4 hours ago, JemJem said:

Gees ! For how long more will Netanyahu and Erdogan be allowed to get away with their crimes ?!

 

It is a big shame that both these countries have various important factors that they use (sadly successfully) to their advantage :

 

Israel : the very strong pro-Israeli lobby in the US.

 

Turkey : the refugee card that Erdogan has been using against the EU, especially in the past 2-3 years.

 

Also, of course, there are various business and military deals to consider.

 

Sad !

 

The pro-Israeli lobby in the US supports Israel, rather than a specific Israeli Prime Minister. And pretty much all of Israeli Prime Ministers "used it to their advantage", as would a Prime Minister of any country. Erdogan is playing the refugee card to the max, vs. the EU, fair enough. Can you honestly say that a different Turkish government would not seek similar concessions and funding, though? Perhaps not being as bellicose about it, but still. With regard to them "various business and military deals", these are, again, more to do with the country's international relations - not necessarily about either leader. 

 

The thing about both leaders is that they both take the "use to their advantage" an extra mile, out of the territory of what's deemed diplomatically accepted. They are both populists, and both push changes to their respective political systems as to enhance and cement their personal positions. Erdogan is way ahead of Netanyahu on this one, and faces mush less resistance.

 

It does give some satisfaction seeing them have a go at each other. Although, I guess that as far as their respective voter bases goes, this sort of thing only bolsters support.

[geriatrickid]

Those on this forum lauding Erdogan are hypocrites and motivated only by their hate for Israel and jews.The people killed on the Gaza border were either armed aggressors or were those intent on attacking Israel and breaching its border.  The  Martyrs  Brigade has  posted  its photos of the  dead in their martyr uniforms complete with weapons and slogans urging death to Israel.

 

Meanwhile Erdogan is engaged in  the  mass murder of the Kurds, has established a buffer zone in Syria  for the same reason except that Turkey occupies  several hundred kilometers of Syria, continues its illegal occupation of Cyprus, refuses to accept the  massacre of the Armenians denies civil rights in Turkey and and meddles in the affairs of the arabs in the region as it seeks to re-establish its  empire.

 

The Europeans singing his praises should help him join the EU  he would fit in with Malta,  Belgium and others.

[sammieuk1]

Old Mr coup faker using his terrorism label to explain away he is the most corrupt world leader is standard Turk fodder

[Morch]

1 hour ago, geriatrickid said:

Those on this forum lauding Erdogan are hypocrites and motivated only by their hate for Israel and jews.The people killed on the Gaza border were either armed aggressors or were those intent on attacking Israel and breaching its border.  The  Martyrs  Brigade has  posted  its photos of the  dead in their martyr uniforms complete with weapons and slogans urging death to Israel.

 

Meanwhile Erdogan is engaged in  the  mass murder of the Kurds, has established a buffer zone in Syria  for the same reason except that Turkey occupies  several hundred kilometers of Syria, continues its illegal occupation of Cyprus, refuses to accept the  massacre of the Armenians denies civil rights in Turkey and and meddles in the affairs of the arabs in the region as it seeks to re-establish its  empire.

 

The Europeans singing his praises should help him join the EU  he would fit in with Malta,  Belgium and others.

 

Most posters on this topic (and many others) are not "lauding Erdogan". The vast majority of participants in the Gaza protests were unarmed, and that goes for those injured as well. As for the ones killed, some were armed - but not all.

 

I don't think Erdogan and Netanyahu are "the same". Erdogan's a ways more advanced in his agenda, and a whole lot more blatant about it. Obviously, they also face different oppositions, different check and balances, and different societies.

 

Don't see a whole lot of issues criticizing both. Not an either/or thing.

 

[maximillian]

On 2.4.2018 at 1:35 PM, Morch said:

 

Checks and balances - as in the Prime Minister not being a de-facto dictator, as there being a judiciary not completely under the thumb of the government, as the opposition not being cowed to silence, as the press being free to report on related matters, and as there being Israeli organizations supportive of Palestinian views. State of things "somewhat" different in Turkey.

Israel's massacre force on Easter 2018, seventeen killed, 770 plus injured.

Netanjahu is a criminal, not a jota better than Erdogan.

https://www.commondreams.org/further/2018/04/03/where-every-bullet-landed

[maximillian]

23 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

Those on this forum lauding Erdogan are hypocrites and motivated only by their hate for Israel and jews.The people killed on the Gaza border were either armed aggressors or were those intent on attacking Israel and breaching its border.  The  Martyrs  Brigade has  posted  its photos of the  dead in their martyr uniforms complete with weapons and slogans urging death to Israel.

 

Meanwhile Erdogan is engaged in  the  mass murder of the Kurds, has established a buffer zone in Syria  for the same reason except that Turkey occupies  several hundred kilometers of Syria, continues its illegal occupation of Cyprus, refuses to accept the  massacre of the Armenians denies civil rights in Turkey and and meddles in the affairs of the arabs in the region as it seeks to re-establish its  empire.

 

The Europeans singing his praises should help him join the EU  he would fit in with Malta,  Belgium and others.

 

https://www.commondreams.org/further/2018/04/03/where-every-bullet-landed

[Morch]

 

@maximillian

 

I think you ought to be able making your point without baiting, but maybe expecting too much. Citing memes from extreme bias journalists is rather pathetic.

 

With regard to the article itself - again, the tone, inaccuracies, the obvious partisanship, and the exaggerations are not surprising. Most of them were addressed on running parallel topics.

 

As for the bit relevant to the OP - try reading the post you replied to again. A large part of the article you linked relies on Israeli media sources, for example, particularly those not sympathetic to government views. Netanyahu may wish he'd have Erdogan's iron grip on the country, but he's got quite a ways to go - with more hurdles to overcome.

 

It is tempting to say "the same", to lump things together. Makes everything easier and simpler. Just not quite how things are.