ANKARA
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Friday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was left isolated after he called on world leaders to condemn Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's remarks about his presence at Sunday's mass anti-terror march in Paris.
"Netanyahu called all world leaders to react against our president and me, but he was alone in doing that. Have you heard anyone reacting or making a remark against us?" he said during a live interview on Friday evening on Turkey's private NTV channel.
During Monday's joint press conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ankara, Erdogan commented on the Israeli premier's presence at the Paris unity rally by saying, "I find it very difficult to understand how he dared to go there after killing 2,500 people in Gaza through state terrorism."
In response, Netanyahu wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday: "I’ve yet to hear any world leader condemn the comments by Erdogan who said Israel should not have been represented in the march in Paris."
Davutoglu maintained that they did and will continue to do what human dignity requires, "as a duty for the children of this region."
"We will never seek permission from Netanyahu for that," he added.
The Turkish premier emphasized that human life is precious and any attempt to kill must be responded to with objection, regardless of whether it is done through individual or state terror.
He also stated that they will have the same reaction if any other leader or country is involved in state terror.
"What is the guilt of the people living in Gaza? You are whitewashing that and then coming to a rally for peace in Paris," he said.
Davutoglu noted that it is the right of all Muslims, as well as Palestine, the Middle East, Asia and Africa, to see the same mobilization when their lives are under attack.
During a speech earlier on Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dubbed the Israeli government "arrogant" for denouncing the recent Paris attacks after what the Israeli army did in Gaza last summer, when they left more than 2,600 Palestinians dead.
“It is sheer arrogance for those who have on their hands the blood of children playing on the beach to condemn terrorism," he said.
In a statement issued on Thursday, his spokesman Ibrahim Kalin also said that Netanyahu is in a "miserable struggle" and his "call for the condemnation of our president's speech on Jan. 14 and attempting to cover up the crimes he committed in Gaza Strip is a shameful and hypocritical situation for humanity."
