As Turkey gallops toward Sharia, it betrays its former ally Israel. “Oren: Turkey has embraced the leaders of Iran and Hamas,” by Hilary Leila Krieger for the Jerusalem Post, June 6 (thanks to all who sent this in):
WASHINGTON – Israel envoy criticized Ankara’s outreach to terrorist groups Friday, the same day that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying Hamas is not a terrorist organization.
“Turkey has embraced the leaders of Iran and Hamas, all of whom called for Israel’s destruction,” Ambassador Michael Oren declared.
“Our policy has not changed but Turkey’s policy has changed, very much, over the last few years,” he said. “Under a different government with an Islamic orientation, Turkey has turned away from the West.”
But Oren, speaking on a conference call organized by The Israel Project, held out hope for reconciliation.
“We certainly do not have any desire in any further deterioration in our relations with the Turks,” he said. “It’s an important Middle Eastern power. It has been a friend in the past.”
Erdogan on Friday declared at a rally that Hamas is not a terrorist organization, but a resistance movement, according to the Istanbul-based daily Hürriyet.
Erdogan said that Hamas, the legitimate winner of the Palestinian elections, was fighting for its land.
“You are always talking about democracy. You’ll never let Hamas rule. What kind of democracy is this?” he said, apparently addressing the Israeli leadership.
“I do not think that Hamas is a terrorist organization,” Erdogan was quoted as saying. “They are Palestinians in resistance, fighting for their own land.”…