Davutoglu: Israel most in need of reflection as demonstrations break out across region

PanARMENIAN.Net - Israel is losing its allies only because of its policies, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.

Commenting on the collapse of Hosni Mubarak's regime in an interview with CNN-Turk News, Davutoglu said Israel "takes pride in being a democracy, but does not want any other country to be a democracy."

The Turkish Foreign Minister continued to criticize the Jewish state, saying it would be difficult to achieve peace in the Middle East if such a peace hinges on Israel's "security demands."

According to Davutoglu, Israel has tried to link the Egyptian opposition to the Iranian regime and make the issue a regional problem. "If Israel feels threatened at this time, it must first check itself," he said before heading to Iran for an official visit.

"Despite (US President Barack) Obama's efforts over the past two years, the peace process is stuck. Who is responsible for this? The settlement building policy, the control over conquered territories – all these don't point to a peace-inducing attitude," he said.

"(Israel) cannot establish a purely Jewish state. It believes it can exist in complete isolation from its surroundings. This is a hard goal to achieve – trying to divide the Middle East."

Davutoglu rejected the notion that a Mubarak-led Egypt would preserve peace and stability in the region. "Israel lost countries it had diplomatic relations with, and now it fears losing countries it considers close,” he said.

According to Ankara's top diplomat, Israel is the Middle East country most in need of reflection as demonstrations break out across the region, ynetnews.com reported.

Addressing the Turkish report on the deadly IDF commando raid on a Gaza-bound Turkish vessel, Davutoglu said the responses to the incident indicated a shift in the international community's attitude towards Israel. "Our claims pertain to the preservation of international law and human rights, while Israel's security-related claims are archaic and outside the boundaries of international law.

"I don’t know of any friendly, objective nation – be it European or American – that would agree to such a distinction. With time, everyone will understand that Israel's actions cannot be legitimized just because its people have suffered in the past," he said.