Turkey Hosts Media Seminar On Palestine

The Palestine International Forum for Media and Communication will be held between 23 and 24 April in Istanbul.



The conference is a coordinating group connecting various media organizations who support the rights of Palestinians. Approximately 400 local and foreign participants - mainly from media, academia and politics will discuss how the latest technology and media applications can influence public opinion in the Arab and Western world regarding the Palestinian cause.



Yasin Aktay, the deputy chairman of Turkey's ruling AK Party, criticized the role of western media in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict at the opening of the forum, and said, "the injustice that has been imposed on Palestinians is the mother of all other conflicts in the world."



"There is a current campaign to discredit Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the international media and one of the most important reasons behind this is Erdogan's strong support of the Palestinian cause," added Aktay.



Abdel Bari Atwan, one of the world's acclaimed Palestinian journalists, said that they are expecting another Mavi Marmara ship in Gaza. In May 2010, Israeli commandos killed eight Turkish nationals and an American of Turkish origin in international waters when they attacked the Mavi Marmara, a ship in a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and construction materials to the Gaza Strip, which is under an Israeli blockade.



"This time we also expect a Mavi Marmara ship from the Arab world," Atwan added.



The event caused international outrage and soured Turkish-Israeli ties. Since then, Turkey received an apology from the Israeli government and the two states are looking to normalize relations with a deal involving compensation for the victims' families.



englishnews@aa.com.tr - İstanbul