Erdoğan 'Pleased' To Return Jewish Courage Award

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he is "pleased" to return a Jewish award he was given a decade ago.

Turkey's US Ambassador Serdar Kılıç said in a letter to American Jewish Congress President Jack Rosen on Monday that he was instructed by Erdoğan to say that the prime minister still maintains his position of fight against extremism, two-state solution in Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the security of the Jewish minority -- reasons of the award.

"Prime Minister Erdoğan would be pleased to return the award he was given in 2004," the letter said in response to a letter by Rosen last week.

The New York-based American Jewish Congress, an association of Jewish Americans, said last week that Erdoğan has become the world's "most virulent anti-Israeli leader" and demanded that he return the award, partly for his efforts to broker peace between Israel and Palestinians.

The American Jewish Congress awarded Erdoğan its "Profile of Courage" award in 2004 for what it said was his stance on fighting terrorism and working towards peace.

"Now, we want it back," Rosen said in an open letter. He cited the Turkish leader's comments last weekend that Israel had "surpassed Hitler in barbarism" through its attacks on Gaza.

"A decade after we gave you our award, you have become arguably the most virulent anti-Israel leader in the world -- spewing dangerous rhetoric for political gain and inciting the Turkish population to violence against the Jewish people."

Anti-Israeli sentiment runs high in Turkey and Erdoğan's rhetoric plays well with his base of largely conservative Sunni Muslim voters, who he hopes will hand him victory in Turkey's first direct election of a president next month.

There is widespread anger in Turkey at Israel's offensive in Gaza, where the death toll exceeded 1,100 on Tuesday.

Israel, which says it has a right to defend itself, has lost at least 52 soldiers in clashes inside Gaza and with Hamas raiders who have slipped under the fortified frontier using tunnels. Palestinian rockets and mortar bombs have killed three civilians in Israel.

Kılıç said there should not be an expectation from Erdoğan to ignore the "occupation, siege and the policy of destruction by Israel on Palestinians," demanding the American Jewish Congress condemn Israeli actions.

Turkey, a member of the US-led NATO military alliance, was once Israel's closest regional ally. Washington considered it a credible broker in the Middle East peace process.

Rosen said Erdoğan had forfeited Turkey's seat "at the table of legitimate mediators" and that all parties would have been better off had he remained a "proponent of peace."

In a previous written statement released last Wednesday, the Prime Ministry Public Diplomacy Coordinator's Office had said Erdoğan's failure to return awards does not demonstrate a contradiction between his words and actions.

The statement said one of the prime minister's awards was given to him in 2005 on behalf of the Turkish diplomats who saved Jews during World War II. Another award was given in 2004 for Turkey's adherence to democratic values and its fight against terrorism after two deadly attacks on İstanbul synagogues and a British bank in 2003.

“We see this debate [about awards] as confirmation of our country and our prime minister's principled stance. These awards were given when Turkey-Israel relations had a different tenor. The Turkish Republic has maintained its stance against anti-Semitism, which it believes to be as racist as Islamophobia, and fights against terrorism. That is why the Turkish Republic stands against Israel's state terrorism,” it said.

Kılıç said on Tuesday's letter that returning the Jewish award will not prevent the prime minister from his fight against terrorism, efforts to find a peaceful settlements for Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the works to provide security for the Jewish citizens in Turkey. (Cihan/Today's Zaman)