Netanyahu: 'Hypocritical' War on Terror Will Fail
PM hits back at Erdogan's attack on his attendance at Paris counter-terror rally, demands world denounce 'shameful remarks.'
By Arutz Sheva Staff
First Publish: 1/14/2015, 7:42 PM
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday met with leaders of the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), and spoke about the renewed global awareness of the need to fight Islamist terrorism following last weeks attacks in Paris.
"I think the war against terror will not succeed if it’s founded on hypocrisy, and I’ve yet to hear any world leader condemn the comments by (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan, not one," said Netanyahu.
Netanyahu took part in a march with world leaders against terrorism in Paris on Sunday, where Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was also present.
At a news conference in Ankara on Monday with Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Erdogan said he could "hardly understand how he (Netanyahu) dared to go" to the march. He demanded Netanyahu "give an account for the children, women you massacred," accusing him of "state terrorism."
The statements are ironic given that Turkey is a main financial supporter of the Hamas terrorist organization, and Abbas, who took part in the march, is the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) terrorist organization.
Responding to Erdogan, Netanyahu stated "he said that Israel should not have been represented in the march in Paris, and the reason he gave, was our actions to defend our citizens against the thousands of rockets hurled at our cities by the terrorists of Hamas."
"I believe his shameful remarks must be repudiated by the international community, because the war against terror will only succeed if it’s guided by moral clarity," said Netanyahu. "That means that the terrorists and their supporters must be condemned, and those fighting terror, like Israel and the United States, must be supported. It’s as simple as that."
He concluded "I think we’re going to be tested by these issues of moral confusion versus moral clarity and courage versus cowardice again, and again, and again. This is not a one-shot battle."
Erdogan also blamed the West for the Paris attacks on Tuesday, saying it was "playing games with the Islamic world."
"French citizens carry out such a massacre, and Muslims pay the price," Erdogan said. "The West's hypocrisy is obvious. As Muslims, we've never taken part in terrorist massacres."
AFP contributed to this report.
