Turkey slams Israeli PM Netanyahu's blatant racism

Turkey slams Israeli PM Netanyahu's blatant racism https://ift.tt/2tquErD ISTANBUL: Turkey on Tuesday denounced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu´s "blatant racism" after he called Israel the nation-state of "the Jewish people" only, not all its citizens.Turkey and Israel often have tense relations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause, a vocal critic of Israeli policies."I strongly condemn this blatant racism and discrimination," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin wrote on his official Twitter account both in Turkish and English."1.6 million Arabs/Muslims live in Israel. Will the Western governments react or keep silent under pressure again?" he asked. In campaign mode before April 9 elections, Netanyahu said all citizens including Arabs had equal rights but referred to a deeply controversial law passed last year declaring Israel the nation-state of the Jewish people."Israel is not a state of all its citizens," Netanyahu wrote in response to comments from an Israeli actress."According to the basic nationality law we passed, Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people -- and only it," he said, in comments that made waves in Israel. Israel and Turkey in 2016 ended a rift triggered by the Israeli storming of a Gaza-bound ship that left 10 Turkish activists dead and led to a downgrading of diplomatic ties.Netanyahu has been accused by critics of demonising Israeli Arabs, who make up some 17.5 percent of the population, in a bid to boost right-wing turnout for April polls.He is facing a tough challenge from a centrist political alliance led by former military chief of staff Benny Gantz and ex-finance minister Yair Lapid.

March 12, 2019 at 03:02AM