For over 500 years, from the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492 to the horrific years of the Nazi Holocaust, Jews have found a safe haven among the Turkish people.
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Tehran - October 27, 2009 President Ahmadinejad said he "appreciates" Turkish PM Erdogan's support for Iran's nuclear program.
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Now a series of developments have created fear among Turkey's Jews and has led to a deterioration in relations between Jerusalem and Ankara, and a crisis within NATO.
•Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan publicly expressed support for Iran — "There is no doubt he [President Ahmadinejad] is our friend" even as he accused Israel's Foreign Minister Lieberman of threatening to nuke Gaza. •Turkey barred Israel from a planned NATO military exercise on Turkish soil over "sensitivity on Gaza, East Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa mosque." •"Separation", a miniseries about Palestinians (see below), broadcast on Turkish state-run TV and also seen throughout Europe, depicts young Israeli soldiers as Nazi-like murderers gunning down a Palestinian infant, and young children.
From anti-Israel protests earlier this year in Istanbul: Left to Right : Grafitti'd wall "Dirty Israel"; burning the Star of David; sign in store: "FOR CHILDREN KILLERS ISRAELIS NO SALE NO ENTRY" |
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