US silence against Israeli killings 'disappointing'

Volkan Bozkir, Chair of Turkey-US Interparliamentary Friendship Caucus on Tuesday called US' ineffectiveness and silence against the Israeli atrocities in Gaza "disappointing" in his letter to his American counterparts as a response to their letter to Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week.  Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on U.S.-Turkish Relations and Turkish Americans, Gerry E. Connolly, Ed Whitfield, Stephen Cohen and Virginia Foxx sent a letter to Turkish PM accusing him of "anti-Semitism" and criticizing his policies toward Israel.  Ambassador Bozkir responded to American congressmen upon Erdogan's instruction. Bozkir said in his letter that Israel has violated international law, human rights and UN resolutions killing more than 1,860 Palestinian civilians, including women and children; and injuring over 10,000 since July 7.  Quoting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon as he had denounced the attacks on UN schools in Gaza as "a moraloutrage and a criminal act', Bozkir wrote that hundreds of academics and lawyers around the world have accused lsrael of committing war crimes.

"Yet, despite all these criticisms, lsrael has continued bombing Gaza. Even children playing on the beaches; patients, those injured and medical statf in hospitals; journalists and even civilians in UN shelters have not been spared from these attack," he said.

In the letter Bozkir qualified lsraeli Parliamentarian Ayelet Shaked's call for killing of Palestinian children and mothers "shameful" and condemned Israelis' joyfully singing and dancing when Gaza was relentlessly bombed.

"What is even more shameful, is the fact that the countries which consider themselves as the leaders of the free and civilized world have remained largely silent against these massacres and inhumane actions, even defending and encouraging lsrael under the "right of self-defense," Bozkir said.

In his letter, Ambassador Bozkir rejected the accusations against Erdogan of being "anti-semitic" and expressed that Erdogan publicly declared anti-semitism as a crime against humanity. 

Pinpointing the coincidence of anti-semitic incendences with Israeli attacks on Palestine he said "Each lsraeli attack undermines the peace and tranquility of Jews living all around the world and turns them into targets of hate speech."

He called for the congressmen to put pressure on Israel to stop occupation in Palestine; "This would be the best and the strongest response to anti-Semitism

Bozkir, touching upon Turkey's effort to contribute to Middle East peace, said that Turkey is for the two state solution in Palestine and Israel conflict. 

"lf the friends of lsrael want to help it, they should call on lsrael to respect international law and human rights, instead of trying to silence the criticisms of those lsraeli policies that undermine the peaceprocess and make a mockery of international law", he added. 

Presidential candidate and Prime Minister Erdogan has accused Israel of committing war crimes and state terror in several rallies for presidental election across Turkey.