When Turkey tried to send “aid” to Hamas, the number of Israeli tourists visiting Turkey dropped 90 per cent.
The sharp drop was shown in official data revealed on Thursday, and it comes amid unprecedented tensions between Turkey and Israel following a deadly Israeli raid on Gaza-bound aid ships last May.
Only 2,605 Israeli citizens visited Turkey in June 2010, compared to 27,289 in June last year, the Turkish tourism ministry said.
In the first six months of the year, 75,071 Israelis came to Turkey, down 17.9 percent from the 91,450 Israeli citizens who had travelled to Turkey during the same period last year.
The drastic decline came after Israeli commandos raided a flotilla of aid ships sailing to the Gaza Strip on May 31, killing nine Turkish activists.
The bloodshed delivered a huge blow to already fragile Turkish-Israeli ties, prompting Ankara to recall its ambassador and cancel joint war games with its one-time ally.
As Turks took to the streets in almost daily protests, Israel urged citizens on May 31 to avoid travelling to Turkey, although that warning was withdrawn on July 21.
Soruce: al-Jazeera.
My comment:
The Turkish Government can not have it both ways. If Ankara wants to side with Syria and Iran, it can not expect business from Israel.
Neither can Turkey expect that the EU will agree to let the Islamic forces invade Europe.
Under no circumstance should the EU accept Turkey as a free and democratic nation, and honor a dictatorship with EU membership. Let Islam play with Islam. And leave the free and democratic Europe free from Islamic oppression and despotism.
ivarfjeld.com 
Leave a comment