Erdogan blames Israel, Hamad charges 'war crime' and Mauritania pulls envoy

[FarCenter]

By Agence France Presse (AFP) Compiled by Daily Star staff - Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Regional leaders have stepped up their criticism of Israel's blistering assault on the Gaza Strip, as Mauritania withdrew its ambassador to the Zionist state in protest and Turkey's premier accused Israel of provoking the outbreak of fighting. For its part, Qatar continued to push for an emergency Arab summit over the Gaza attacks, which the nation's emir described as a "war crime."

"The Israeli aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip is a war crime," Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani said late Sunday in a televised address. He also renewed an earlier call on fellow Arab leaders to hold an extraordinary summit in support of Gaza.

"The mobilization on the Arab street and several peace movements in the world have proven that this is the least the people expect from us. I believed and still do that we can do something," the emir said.

Sheikh Hamad said that "calls for a mutual cease-fire treat the culprit and the victim as equal and justify the aggression."

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http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=98856

[Arrowhead2k1]

1. I have a feeling there are some unforeseen consequences at hand. nt

[AnOhioan]

2. I agree, Turkey has been an Israeli ally

Now Erdogan is calling them out. I hope someone in the Israeli gov't is paying attention.

[Scurrilous]

3. Qatar shuts Israeli trade office over Gaza war

<snip>

"Qatar ordered the closure of Israel's trade office in Doha over the Jewish state's war on Gaza, Qatar's official news agency reported on Sunday, citing a foreign ministry official.

"The ministry has summoned the head of Israel's trade office in Doha and gave him an official memorandum of Qatar's decision to close the bureau," the agency quoted the official as saying.

Qatar, previously the only Gulf Arab state with Israeli trade ties, said officials working at the Jewish state's trade office, open since 1996, have seven days to leave the country.

Qatar and Mauritania decided on Friday to "suspend" their relations with Israel at an Arab summit in Doha called to discuss the Israeli onslaught on Gaza, a Mauritanian diplomat told AFP."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gYjxCpr0TpN8U0btRqZcUAh4id3A

[bemildred]

4. Keep an eye on the meeting in Egypt.

All those guys are not getting together for nothing.