Turkey's Erdogan Throws a Tantrum Over Israel

This is an amazing moment, captured on video.

This was a panel, convened at the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland and moderated by WAPO columnist David Ignatius. It was designed to 'discuss the situation in Gaza' and consisted of the usual stacked deck against Israel, Amr Moussa, head of the Arab League, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, Islamist Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and - Israeli president Shimon Peres.

It illustrates perfectly why Israel should never count on any fairness or understanding whatsoever from the so-called international community.

The first three speakers spent their time either deploring the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, shilling for money for the Palestinians or accusing Israel of wanton aggression and war crimes.None of them mention Hamas, the rockets or the
humanitarian situation in southern Israel, and frankly I doubt they care.

They undoubtedly expected Israel's leftist President Shimon Peres to join in the chorus, but he surprised them (and perhaps himself) by vigorously defending Israel's right to defend itself..starting at about 39:20 on this video.

You can almost see Erdogan literally radiating hatred as peres speaks, especially when Peres challenges him directly, saying that Egyptian president Mubarak and PA President Abbas 'both know the situation close hand and both blamed Hamas for the war' and then looks directly at Erdogan and says that if rockets were falling on Istanbul "you would have done the same."

Erdogan then demanded time to respond from Ignatius, was told that time was over and asked for one minute.Ignatius gave it to him, and then cut into Erdogan's harangue -during which he called Peres an old man and a liar and said Peres was covering for murderers - after the minute was up and told him no more time was available.Erdogan threw a temper tantrum and stomped out, while Ignatius hemmed and hawed and the audience sat open mouthed in disbelief.

After venting his spleen at Israel and Peres, Erdogan was given a hero’s welcome on his return to Istanbul, yet another sign of Turkey's increasing slide into Islamism under Erdogan and the AKP's rule. More on that later.

And Shimon Peres? He apparently recovered from his attack of courage, called Erdogan to say sorry and they're friends again.

Simply amazing.

As a sidenote,both Google and my site reveal a number of searches for David Ignatius coupled with the words 'Israeli' or 'Jew'. As anyone knows whose ever read his columns, Ignatius is hardly one of Israel's friends!