The session at Davos on Gaza and the peace process didn’t end so peacefully — the Turkish prime minister made news by walking off the stage near the end, claiming he had not been given enough time to respond to Israeli President Shimon Peres (start watching at 1:01:00). But if you really want to see some heat, check out Peres’ 20-minute defense of his country’s attacks against Hamas, starting at the 40-minute mark.
UPDATE IV (BUT SO IMPORTANT WE’RE PUTTING IT FIRST): Peres and Erdogan make up.
UPDATE I: The American Jewish Committee has issued a statement condeming the Turkish prime minister. This follows an earlier statement from several Jewish organizations asking him to address a rise in anti-Semitism in his country during the war in Gaza. Turkey had harsh criticisms for Israel, virtually from the start of its confrontation this month with Hamas.
UPDATE II: It’s worth noting that when Peres finished his remarks, he was met with solid applause, which seemed to be a major factor in the Turkish leader’s frustration and unwillingness to leave the last word to the Israeli president.
UPDATE III: More of Erdogan at Davos, talking about what he’d like to see from the Obama administration and the international community:
