Turkish leader hailed at home after Israel dispute

Turkey's prime minister drew praise Friday from Hamas militants for confronting the Israeli president over civilian casualties and said "everybody should take sides," despite Turkish efforts to mediate in the Middle East.

• The uproar raised questions about where Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to lead Turkey, which seeks to join the European Union but is prepared to disagree with its Western allies and act as a voice for many in the Muslim world.
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• It thrust Turkey, which has military ties with Israel and has hosted indirect talks between Israel and Syria, into the role of champion of Iran-backed Hamas, which is considered a terrorist group by the West and is shunned by some Arab nations.
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• Red and white Turkish flags flapped next to green Hamas banners at rallies throughout Gaza City on Friday, as well as the ruins of a bombed-out mosque in the Gaza refugee camp of Jebaliya. Later, about 5,000 Hamas supporters rallied in front of the ruined Palestinian parliament, some waving Turkish flags and carrying pictures of Erdogan.
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• "We consider this a daring and responsible position that expresses the pulse and outlook of the Islamic nation and confirms the rights of the Palestinian people," Hamas legislator Mushir al-Masri Mashir said of Erdogan's confrontation with Israeli President Shimon Peres. "It is a position more advanced than those of the Arab and Islamic regimes."
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• The Israeli offensive killed nearly 1,300 Palestinians, including hundreds of civilians, and caused an estimated $2 billion in damage, Palestinian officials say. Thirteen Israelis died during the Gaza assault, which was launched to halt years of Hamas rocket fire on southern Israel.
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• "No one should portray the killing of those children or women as a simple job accident," Erdogan said at the inauguration of a subway station in Istanbul on Friday. "Being silent in the face of oppression is oppression itself."
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• Israel has blamed civilian deaths in Gaza on Hamas and other Palestinian fighters for allegedly using the population as cover for operations. Erdogan, however, said "no one can downplay" the Palestinian casualties.
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• "We are not categorically accusing Israel, Israelis or Jews. Our criticism is directed at phosphorus bombs, weapons of mass destruction. Our reaction is against the Israeli administration," he said. "Everybody should take sides and Turkey's side is clear: it is on the side of peace."
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• A crowd of about 1,500 people chanted "Turkey is proud of you" and "Down with Israel."
• Earlier, more than 5,000 jubilant supporters, many waving Turkish and Palestinian flags, thronged the airport to welcome Erdogan after he returned from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
• The dispute about Israel's offensive took place at a panel discussion there on Thursday. It ended when Erdogan told Peres: "You kill people," and then stalked off the stage.
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• Peres said Friday his heated public exchange with Erdogan was not personal and ties between the two nations won't change. He said he spoke afterward with Erdogan.
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• "I called him up and said, 'Yes, I do not see the matter as personal ... and the relations can remain as they are," Peres said. "My respect for him didn't change. We had an exchange of views."
• Some Turkish media reported that Peres apologized to Erdogan. Peres spokeswoman Ayelet Frisch denied that.
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• Both Israeli mass-circulation papers put the confrontation on the front page. Yediot Ahronot's headline was "And what if they shot rockets at Istanbul?" — a reference to Palestinian militants' rockets that were fired at Israel. Maariv's headline was "Turkey against Peres."
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• Writing in Yediot, Alon Liel — who served as an Israeli diplomat in Turkey and was the director of Israel's Foreign Ministry — reminded readers that in November 2007 Peres made history when he addressed Turkey's parliament.
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• "And it was the same Peres who was dealt, along with all of us, a stinging slap on the face by the Turkish prime minister who briefly turned Davos into the sewer of Istanbul," he wrote.
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• "It's true that Israel occupied territory, but Turkey is also holding occupied territory. It's true that Israel has violated U.N. resolutions, but Turkey has ignored dozens of such resolutions. It's true that Israel is far from perfect, but don't tempt us to mention all of Turkey's crimes," he wrote.
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• Erdogan's outburst appeared to put at risk efforts to transform his country — a nation with secular ideals and an overwhelmingly Muslim population — into a Mideast mediator.
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• "From now on, Turkey has lost its neutrality," said Huseyin Bagci, who teaches international relations at Middle East Technical University in Ankara, the Turkish capital. "Turkey's role as an objective mediator in the Middle East is over."
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• Turkey is Israel's best friend in the Muslim world. During the Gaza war, Turkey positioned itself as a potential mediator with unique access to the two enemies, but its perceived neutrality faded with Erdogan's harsh criticism of the Israeli offensive.
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• The Turkish military, which suspects Erdogan's government seeks to undermine Turkey's secular principles, indicated its ties with Israel would not immediately change.
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• "The rule is to act according to national interests in bilateral military relations with all countries," Brig. Gen. Metin Gurak, the military spokesman, said Friday in response to a question on the possibility of cutting military ties.
• Ennaharonline/ AP