Turks protest at Israeli attacks in Gaza

Fri Jan 2, 2009 9:47am EST


ISTANBUL, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Thousands of Turkish protesters gathered outside a mosque in the city of Istanbul on Friday to condemn Israeli attacks in Gaza, which have prompted harsh criticism from the government against its close ally Israel.

Chanting "Damn Israel, Damn Zionism" and voicing support for the Islamic group Hamas, up to 5,000 worshippers held a peaceful protest after Friday prayers in Turkey's largest city.

Turkey, officially secular but predominantly Muslim, is close to Israel but has taken a strong stance against the attacks on Gaza and suspended its role as mediator of indirect talks between the Jewish state and Syria.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who dubbed Israel's offensive in Gaza "a crime against humanity", has embarked on a tour of Arab nations to restore peace, calling on the Jewish state to end operations and lift its blockade of the coastal strip.

On Friday, Bulent Gedikli, a senior official from the ruling Islamist-rooted AK Party, said caretaker Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert "deserved to have shoes thrown at him" -- in reference to an incident in which an Iraqi reporter famously threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush.

Despite the unpopularity of Israel's operations in Gaza among Turks, analysts do not expect damage to the strategic and military ties shared by Israel and Turkey, a close U.S. ally.

With divisions undermining Arab efforts to influence Palestinians, Erdogan has held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Jordan's King Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

He is due to meet Saudi King Abdullah in Riyadh on Saturday.

Erdogan, who has called on Hamas to stop firing rockets on Israeli towns and halt any other attacks, has said Turkey was ready to mediate between Abbas' Fatah group and Hamas, which took control of Gaza after routing Abbas loyalists in June 2007. (Reporting by Ibon Villelabeitia; Editing by Katie Nguyen)



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