Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday accused the State of Israel of deliberately wounding Gaza children, by using white phosphorous bombs during its counter-terrorism military operation in the region last winter. On the same day, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu signed a series of military and civilian pacts with Syrian, a declared enemy of the State of Israel.
"In Gaza, phosphorous bombs fell on innocent children," Erdogan said, according to a report published by the Turkish newspaper, Sabah. "There are countries in which children receive the best education and the most advanced medical services. In other places there is desperation, poverty, war, and weapons of mass destruction. We must listen to the voices of the oppressed," he reportedly told Islamic clerics in Turkey. "Iraq was conquered and so was Gaza. Humanity is watching the evils from a comfortable seat."
Tensions between Turkey and Israel have increased over the past year, beginning with harsh criticism of Israel by Erdogan over Operation Cast Lead, which took place between December 27, 2008 and January 20, 2009.
Last week, Ankara suddenly informed Jerusalem it was barring the Israel Air Force from participating in the joint Anatolian Eagle military air exercise that had been scheduled for this week. Turkey announced that the move, seen as a punishment for Israel's military operation in Gaza, would simply delay the exercise, which had been conducted together with Israel and the U.S. at least five times since 2001.
Turkey was forced to call off the international joint drill indefinitely, however, after the U.S. and Italy pulled out of the exercise as well, in a solidarity move with the Israel Air Force.
Turkey Signs Military Deal with Syria
On the same day the Turkish prime minister launched his verbal attack against Israel in the Turkish media -- and just two days after the announcement that Ankara had banned Israel's participation in the joint Anatolian Eagle exercise -- Turkey on Tuesday signed a military cooperation pact with Syria.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his Syrian counterpart, Walid Moallem, inked the agreement in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. The two nations also signed a series of civil agreements, including one in which visa requirements for visitors between the two countries are suspended.
"We congratulate Turkey for cancelling the military exercises with Israel," Moallen told reporters at a joint news conference following the meeting. "As a country bordering Turkey, the exercise would have naturally worried us," he added.
Israel launched last winter's counterterrorist operation in Gaza in an attempt to silence the thousands of rocket and mortar attacks that were being fired from the region at southern Israeli civilians by Palestinian Authority terrorists.
Abbas Blames Hamas for Gaza Homelessness
After weeks of absorbing criticism from the Hamas terror group that controls Gaza, Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas struck back Tuesday.
Abbas accused the group's leadership of running away to Sinai during Operation Cast Lead and abandoning the people it had pledged to serve when it seized control of the region.
"Hamas leaders escaped, leaving its people to die" as Israel fought to end the rocket attacks on the western Negev communities that emanated from Gaza, Abbas told reporters during a tour of Jenin.
"There are many Gaza Arabs today who are homeless because of them. We asked Hamas to calm things down even before the IDF operation in Gaza, but they refused," the PA chairman said." All of the sudden they are killing today anyone opposed to calm with Israel."
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