Turkish President Recep Erdogan A Real Jerk In Interview With Israeli TV

recep-erdoganYou’d think with Turkey’s reconciliation deal with Israel, Turkish President Recep Erdogan might go on a bit of a charm offensive with us.

Naaa, he’s just offensive, and there’s nothing charming about it.

In an interview with Israeli Channel 2’s Ilana Dayan, he basically lied and insulted Israel and our intelligence.

Let’s see. There was a Hitler comparison

“I don’t agree with what Hitler did and I also don’t agree with what Israel did in Gaza. Therefore there’s no place for comparison in order to say what’s more barbaric,” Erdogan said when reminded of his 2014 comments.

Asked if he was conscious of the shock his reference to Hitler caused among Jews, Erdogan said “I’m very well aware… But is the Jewish community aware of what is done (in Gaza)? Thousands of people bombed in Gaza and Palestine” in the 2014 war with Hamas.

Two can play that game, you know, Recep.

erdogan-hitler

Support for Hamas while minimizing their crimes

The Turkish president dismissed categorizing Hamas as a terrorist organization, calling it a legitimate political party, and a “refugee movement born out nationalism” that must be part of any future peace deal. ..He also said he was in “constant contact” with Hamas.

Asked whether he was confident Hamas would not abuse the lifting of the blockade in order to import weaponry, Erdogan switched the focus to Israel, and castigated “your use of weapons against Gaza.”

He noted that Hamas did not have the “nuclear and conventional weapons that Israel has.” The deaths caused in Israel by Hamas rockets, he indicated, paled by comparison to the “thousands” killed by Israel in Gaza.

When it was put to him that Hamas indiscriminately targets Israeli civilians, Erdogan did not directly address the question. He called for a negotiated solution to bring tranquility to the area.

Asked about the remains of two Israeli soldiers from the 2014 war held by Hamas, he noted that Israel holds “thousands” of Hamas and other Palestinian prisoners in its jails, and suggested an exchange.

Blaming us for the impasse in peace talks

He placed the onus for the failure of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks squarely on Israel, saying he would be willing to broker talks, but that Israel has refused such overtures.

Accusing us of not respecting the holiness of Jerusalem

He accused Israel of failing to respect the holiness of Jerusalem, accusing it of trying to change the status quo at the Al-Aksa compound (the Temple Mount). “Jerusalem is holy to three religions. You have to respect that,” he said.

Dismissed evidence showing Israeli commandos were attacked on the Mavi Marmara

Erdogan said “it is impossible to believe” that the Israeli soldiers who boarded the Mavi Marmara tried to avert bloodshed.

“We have all of the documents and evidence,” Erdogan said, and “it’s impossible” that the soldiers were acting in self-defense. “Regrettably, 10 of our brothers were martyred there,” he added.

Erdogan dismissed footage of the incident that showed the Turkish activists assaulting the soldiers with metal rods and clubs. “We have all (of the evidence),” he told Dayan. “Speak correctly. The fact that you’re a journalist shouldn’t prevent you from speaking correctly.”

He even impersonated Patrick Swayze.

Erdoğan added that “I have seen everything,” attacking Dayan “you cannot speak the truth, the fact that you are a journalist does not mean you have to lie, if you think you can pressure Recep Tayyip Erdoğan into a corner you are mistaken.”

Clearly, there must be some real strategic interest in reconciling with Turkey (I am thinking Iran), because this guy is insufferable.

Which is why I will never get tired of this.

11 thoughts on “Turkish President Recep Erdogan A Real Jerk In Interview With Israeli TV”

  1. You might be tempted to say that he’s a little nuts. But if you interviewed the leader of any Islamic country, you’d probably get about the same amount of detachment from reality, utter lack of self-reflection and Jew hatred

      1. They are not nuts. They are dicktators. They are supremacists of the Islamic variety. Hamas is not a terrorist organization? Neither is the PKK. In Turkey, where I live, they just arrested the Kurdish political party HDP, from parliament all the way to local mayors on the grounds of supporting ‘terrorism’. They have flattened Kurdish cities early this year and are still doing it. They allow their thugs to beat up artists, attack non-Muslims and non-observant Muslims, and intimidate women. Jerusalem is holy to three religions, call him out for recently appointing an imam to Hagia Sofia, currently a museum.

        This appeasement and cultural relativism that allows Islam and specifically Sunni Islam to literally get away with murder is growing more tiresome by the day. We need to make a stand and demand equal treatment by the Islamic world.

        1. I agree wholeheartedly with what you’ve written, and my heart goes out to you in Turkey. Whether we call him “nuts” is perhaps a matter of semantics. He’s a dangerous and immoral man, to be sure.
          I’d love to see the “international community” make a stand, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. They only seem to unite in supporting Islamists, for one motivation or another.

  2. Indeed. Turkey is guilty of all the crimes it baselessly accuses us of, and is not the slightest bit contrite about any of its aggression against our soldiers. Sending a boatload of IHH terrorists would be an act of war, under more conventional circumstances. That Israel is putting up with all of this shows there MUST be something very important Turkey has to offer. If it was just trade and political relations, Erdogan’s behavior would sink those pretty quickly. Hard to trust a country whose leader behaves like he does.
    To the many fine, liberal Turkish citizens who chafe under this proto-Islamist madman’s rule, I send my sympathy and well-wishes, and to the other Turkish citizens who actually support this nutter, I will simply say that they’re sure to reap what they’ve sown soon enough.

  3. For what it’s worth, Erdogan is super-pissed at us Americans, too. He thinks we orchestrated the failed coup to overthrow his government some months back. And he hates our support for the Kurds (and probably for Israel, too, if the truth be known). And this autocrat is trying to transform Turkey from a historically secular state into an Islamic state. That’s like putting mayonnaise on french fries instead of ketchup. You just don’t do it.

  4. I think that the Israeli government and many Israeli people remember the good, friendly relationship that Israel had with Turkey up until only a few years ago, until this bozo ruined it. The tourism industry in Israel took a big hit. There is a strong ex-pat Turkish Jewish community in Israel, and there is still a Jewish community in Turkey. To be sure, the Jewish community in Turkey is being thoroughly persecuted, and especially any Jews who openly support Israel. Supporting Israel, even having family in Israel has become downright dangerous under the Erdogan regime. Of course, it’s all still under the very thin guise of “anti-Zionist not antisemitic”. On the other hand, the Turkish Jews in Israel haven’t had their assets frozen or confiscated and there are still joint businesses and trade, but the situation must be quite precarious. I’m not sure how much of a consideraction the Jewish community in Turkey is, since it is very small now, but things would certainly get worse for them if relations with Israel deteriorated further.

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