ISTANBUL (CIHAN) - The Turkish Prime Minister on Thursday reiterated his dissatisfaction with the Israeli policies being enforced against the Palestinian people. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the Turkish Kanal-D television that Turkey wanted a permanent and just solution reached between the Palestinians and Israel.
Asked if Israel and Turkey were at a crossroads in relations, and if Turkey was uneasy with current Israeli policies, Erdogan gave his view of the current situation:
"On the one side, there are Palestinian children who throw stones, on the other side there is Israel which fires missiles. If we call the children terrorists, then how should we term those who fire from the helicopters. It is state terror," Erdogan said.
Turkey previously expressed its readiness to mediate between Syria and Israel for the resumption of peace talks. However, it later accused Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of burying Turkish offers to mediate between Israel and the Palestinians with his policy of assassinating Palestinian leaders.
The Turkish Prime Minister said that Turkey favors a just and sustainable peace in the Middle East. "Both sides can expect fairness from Turkey. We can't support one side and leave down the other. We are ready to take the necessary steps."
Israel's severe crackdown on the Palestinians has strained its ties with Turkey, a long-standing strategic ally of Israel in the Muslim world.
In early June, Turkey summoned its ambassadors to Syria and Israel and its Consul General to Jerusalem back to Ankara for consultations as a result of the military actions taken by the Israelis.