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ANKARA: Ministry Denies Economist Report On Israel 'Threat'

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  • ANKARA: Ministry Denies Economist Report On Israel 'Threat'

    MINISTRY DENIES ECONOMIST REPORT ON ISRAEL 'THREAT'

    Today's Zaman
    Feb 2 2009
    Turkey

    The Turkish Education Ministry has denied a report by UK news
    magazine The Economist suggesting that the ministry cancelled an
    essay contest last month about the tragedy in Gaza due to threats by
    Israeli officials.

    Students across Turkey stood for a minute of silence after the
    Education Ministry on Jan. 13 issued a nationwide decree to recognize
    the casualties in Gaza, where more than 1,300 Palestinians died from
    Israeli strikes launched on Dec. 27.

    At the time Israeli Ambassador to Turkey Gaby Levy contacted the
    Turkish Foreign Ministry when he was informed of the Education
    Ministry's directive and said the politicians' reaction to the
    Israeli strikes were understandable to an extent. But he termed it
    "unacceptable" and "politically motivated" to urge students to be
    a part of a campaign against Israel. Following the reaction of the
    Israeli ambassador, the Education Ministry canceled the planned essay
    contest about the tragedy in Gaza.

    "An education ministry circular particularly annoyed Israel by telling
    Turkish schoolchildren to observe a minute's silence in solidarity with
    Palestinian children. In the event, the Israelis persuaded the Turks
    to cancel a proposed essay and drawing contest for schoolchildren to
    air their feelings of hatred towards Israel. Israeli officials were
    apparently poised to respond by proposing a program in Israeli schools
    for discussing the genocide of Armenians by Turks in the first world
    war," said an article in the Jan. 29 edition of The Economist.

    The report by The Economist magazine "doesn't reflect the truth and
    furthermore, it's completely a lie," the ministry said in a statement
    released over the weekend. "Any blackmail or threat, as mentioned in
    the report, is out of the question," the statement added.
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