NEW YORK (VINnews) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Jewish rabbinical leaders in Turkey as well as with members of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States. Erdogan stressed to the Jewish leaders that Turkey’s relations with Israel were “vital for the security and stability of the region.” The rabbis presented Erdogan with a silver menorah.
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President Erdoğan receives delegation of members from Turkish Jewish community, Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States and Chief Rabbi Lazar of Russia who gift him a Hanukkah menorah. #Turkey
— Ali Özkök (@Ozkok_A) December 23, 2021
Turkish media outlets reported that Erdogan spoke out against “racism, antisemitism and intolerance towards people from different religions.” He termed antisemitism and Islamophobia as “crimes against humanity.” The president welcomed the recent dialogue initiated with President Herzog and Prime Minister Bennett after two Israeli citizens were jailed on charges of spying for allegedly photographing his palace. Erdogan said that if Israel would sincerely commit to a peace process with the Palestinians it would “contribute to the normalization process” between Israel and Turkey.
In the wake of the resolution of the diplomatic crisis with Turkey over the arrest of the two Israelis and their subsequent release through Erdogan’s intervention, there has been a warming of relations between Ankara and Jerusalem. Erdogan recently said that he has “had talks with Israel in the past” and offered to reappoint an ambassador to Israel “under the right circumstances.” Turkey recalled its ambassador in 2018 after the US moved its embassy to Israel and has been a severe critic in recent years of Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians.
The steps toward a rapprochement with Israel comes as Turkey has been trying to end its international isolation by normalizing its ties with several countries in the region, including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Erdogan is not to be trusted. He desperately needs Israel now, as the Turkish economy is in terrible and this could easily lead to his downfall.
I wish him a “mapola”
Turkey’s isolation is after a series of mistakes by Mr. Erdogan.
Erdogan is a dangerous man, who has suffered a steep decline politically recently, and is on his way down and out. He is desperately grasping for support and allies, as he is in serious danger politically. These Chabad-Lubavitch shluchim should be ashamed for themselves for dancing מה יפית in front of him like that, to make more PR for themselves. What will they do next? Give a menorah to the heads of Hamas? They are acting like Neturei Karta.
(The “Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States” is a relatively new Chabad-Lubavitch front organization, for those not familiar with it.)
Turkey is going through definitely hard times; their economy and their currency are both in the toilet. Ergo…those Jews can be very useful.
Honestly, I cannot keep track of what Turkey is doing in regard to Israel. Shame about the Turkish lira though.