Erdogan: The main reason for tensions in Gaza is the policy of isolating Hamas

GAZA, (PIC)-- Turkish premier Recep Erdogan stated that the primary cause of the ongoing tensions in the Gaza Strip is the policy of isolating the Hamas Movement, highlighting the need to recognize the legitimacy of the Movement which was democratically elected by the Palestinian people. In an interview with the Washington Post newspaper Erdogan categorically denied that Hamas is part of the Iranian scheme to control the Middle East. "Hamas is not an arm of Iran. It entered the election as a political party. If the whole world had given it a chance of becoming a political player, maybe it would not be in a situation like this after it won the elections, he said. The Turkish premier charged that the world did not respect the will of the Palestinian people, saying: "On the one hand, we defend democracy and try our best to keep democracy in the Middle East, but on the other hand we do not respect the outcome of the ballot box!" "Just imagine, you imprison the speaker of a country as well as some ministers of its government and members of its parliament and then you expect them to sit obediently?" the premier added. As for sending Turkish peacekeeping troops to Gaza, the premier denied any such intention to participate in any international force in Gaza, pointing to the possibility of carrying out the role of observers. The premier noted that there had been no reported injuries in the ranks of Israelis since the ceasefire in June 2008 and the Israelis then kept claiming that rockets were still fired from Gaza, adding that since last December 27, Israel killed 1,300 and wounded 6,000 Palestinians and turned Gaza under siege into debris; in addition to that, Israel did not recognize a resolution issued by the UN security council demanding it to stop its war. Meanwhile,in a letter sent Sunday to Amr Mousa, the secretary-general of the Arab League, the Islamic action front in Jordan hailed the stands of the Turkish premier who withdrew from Davos conference after not being allowed to finish his speech in response to remarks by the Israeli president who justified the killing of citizens in Gaza. In the letter, Zaki Bani Ersheed, the secretary-general of the Islamic action front, criticized Mousa for being a shadow of the stands of the Egyptian regime. "I do not think anyone in the Arab world is unaware of your passive position on the convening of the Arab summit in Doha to support the holocaust victims (in Gaza) and no one forgives your statements which were and still are an echo of the flimsy justifications given by officials of some Arab regimes," Ersheed opined addressing the Arab League head.