Israeli military disowns general's harsh remarks on Turkey

An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson said criticism made by Major General Avi Mizrahi, commander of the Israeli army headquarters, does not reflect the official position of the army.   Â

 

"While referring to the criticism of Israel by Turkey, Gen. Mizrahi made statements that could be interpreted as criticism of Turkey's past," Israeli daily Haaretz quoted a statement made by Brig. Gen. Avi Benayahu, a spokesman for the IDF, as saying.Â

 

"The IDF spokesperson wishes to clarify that this is not the official position of the IDF," the statement added.

 

Mizrahi called on Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to look in the mirror, Haaretz reported on Friday.

 

The Israeli General took a step further and accused Turkey of "committing massacre of the Armenians as well as the suppression of the Kurds". Mizrahi also mentioned the so-called Turkish occupation of northern Cyprus, according to the report.

 

Erdogan has harshly criticized Israel’s operations in Gaza which killed more than 1,300 people dead. The relations strained after Erdogan stormed out of a Gaza debate in Davos with Israeli President Shimon Peres.

 

DIPLOMATIC NOTE

The Turkish Foreign Ministry delivered on Saturday a diplomatic note to Israel concerning the remarks of the Israeli general. In a separate statement, the Turkish army said the remarks are in an extent that could harm the bilateral relations.

 

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Israeli Ambassador to Ankara Gabby Levy had been summoned to the ministry by the undersecretary regarding the general's comments.

 

His remarks violated all forms of diplomatic practices, and contradicted with the historical and current realities therefore these "accusations and nonsensical talks" targeting prime minister and the country had been protested by a note, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in the statement.

 

"Furthermore, we have stressed that the relevant statements of Avi Mizrahi are ungrounded and unacceptable and as such we have requested an urgent explanation from Israeli authorities," the statement added.

 

The Turkish army also issued a statement on Saturday to slam Mizrahi over his words. "These remarks, as the way they were published in the media reports, are considered to be misleading the facts, unfortunate, unacceptable and more importantly in an extent that could harm the national interests between two countries," the army said in a statement posted on its Web site.

 

The military also called on the Israeli army, "which is considered to be attaching great importance to its relations with the Turkish Armed Forces", to clarify Mizrahi's statement.

 

Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said Mizrahi's remarks "were irresponsible, wrongful, unfriendly and not in line with historical realities".

 

He added such remarks could open deep wounds in bilateral relations with Israel. "I hope that the Israeli authorities will make statements to satisfy the Turkish public," Cicek was quoted by Anatolian Agency as saying.Â

 

"FRICTION ATTEMPTED"

An Israeli daily wrote Saturday that some in Jerusalem see the note given by the Turkish Foreign Ministry as an attempt to create friction between the militaries of the two countries.

 

"In what appears to some in Jerusalem as an attempt to create friction between the Israeli and Turkish military establishments, the Turkish Foreign Ministry called in Israeli envoy Gabi Levy Saturday to protest reports that an IDF general sharply criticized Turkey's prime minister for his harsh condemnation of Israel during Operation Cast Lead," the Jerusalem Post wrote.

 

The newspaper said Israel has never called in the Turkish ambassador to register a protest despite Erdogan's harsh comments during the Gaza operation.

 

"We confirm that the Turks protested to the ambassador. He [Levy] wrote it down and will pass it on to Jerusalem," Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told the paper.

 

The paper also said "while Erdogan has gravely taken Israel to task, the Turkish military has stayed above the fray."

 

"The Turks also differentiate between what politicians, like Erdogan, say and what military men, like Mizrahi, say. The feeling in Ankara is that were the same comments made by Olmert or any other politician, they would not have elicited as strong a reaction as when uttered by a general," it added.