Turkey's PM calls on world to rescue Palestinians from Israeli siege

In his address to the US-Islamic World Forum Saturday in Doha, Qatar, Erdogan condemned the silence of the international community towards the Israeli aggression in Gaza, calling on the world to rescue the population there and to force Israel to open the border and allow the first aid.

Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip ended on January 18, 2009, with mutual ceasefires by Israel and the Palestinian movement.

"If Humanity which rises against the hunting of seals, sees the murder of children with phosphorus bombs as collateral damage in the fight against terrorism, in an effort to comfort its conscience, feeling of justice will be hurt beyond cure," said Erdogan.

The deadly offensive killed some 1,5000 Palestinians, a third of them children, and 13 Israelis, three of them are civilians, also died during the 22-day attack.

Erdogan emphasized that murdering of children, women, innocent people, violation of human rights and human values, is equally bad regardless of the location they occur.

Erdogan called on the developed world to be sensitive about the murdering of children just like it did with the endangered species, the rain forests and melting of the glaciers.

Erdogan said the world witnessed an example of this in Gaza, noting that Israel bombed Gaza with phosphorus bombs killing 1500 people, children elderly and women all alike.

"These are defenseless people. Five thousand people were wounded and five thousand people are living in tents. The donors got together at a meeting a year ago. Has there been a single infrastructure or super structure construction since then? None. then I'm asking, humanity where are you? Administrators where are you? Why can't construction equipment and materials enter Gaza," said Erdogan.

Gaza is still considered under Israeli occupation as Israel controls air, sea and land access to the Strip.

Human rights groups, both international and Israeli, slam Israel’s siege of Gaza, branding it “collective punishment.”

The Rafah crossing with Egypt, Gaza's sole border crossing that bypasses Israel, rarely opens as Egypt is under immense US and Israeli pressure to keep the crossing shut.

Erdogan criticised the Western countries for mentioning of terrorism with Islam.

Erdogan said all sorts of terror should be condemned without discrimination. He recalled the Islamic civilization was based on the principles of justice and mutual respect.

“It is hard to accuse 1.5bn Muslims of terrorism,” the Turkish premier said. Erdoğan said that he is totally rejecting that notion.

Underlining that none of the divine religions has ever approved terrorism, Erdogan said how racism, anti-Semitism and discrimination are dangerous, Islamophobia is at least that dangerous. Islamophobia is racism and crime against humanity, therefore the people with wisdom and conscience should take a stand against it.

None of the terrorist organizations in the world has been mentioned with the religion of that country but unfortunately 1,5 billion Muslims have been exposed as a target after some terrorism incidents. I am underscoring that Islamophobia is dangerous, Erdogan said.

He stressed that Islam was a religion of peace, tolerance and co-existence between people.

/World Bulletin/