dollars. Like the ones that went to live in germany. No self dignity.

This isnt a bad thing to show some turks that the israeli people arnt that bad. As much as his statments are somehow anti-israel in a minor way, this still improves relations abit.

Israelis forget that Turkey is a country with 73 million population. Majority of Turkish people doesn't share the views of the few 1000 Israeli protesters in the streets of Istanbul. We never had any problem with Jewish people and we will never have. You also forgot that it was the Turks who saved 100.000s of Jewish people`s lives from European fascists since 1490s to WW-2 days. There are still 35.000+ Jews living in Turkey atm. No one even harmed any of them or their properties after flotilla incident. Did you hear any news like that? NO, but i heard the news of Israelis destroyed the monuments of Turkish soldiers of WW-1 in there.

Amen, Onur. You are making a good point and thank you. But you yourself must be noticing your own choice of words: there are "still" Jews living in Turkey. Why "still"? Do you have reason to expect them to leave? It's not people like you that would make them leave, that is clear. But you seemed to have picked up a vibe there. I hope Turks realise what Erdogan's startegy did to the Kurdish situation. By legitimising Hamas he is also legitimising the PKK. That could easily escalate.

I don't know where you heard that Israelis destroyed the monuments of Turkish soldiers but I haven't heard that. In the past in 1955 a rumor was spread by the Turkish government that Ataturk's birth place at Salonika was put on fire and in September 6-7 mobs of people vandalized all none Muslim businesses and people in Istanbul (Beyoglu) and Izmir. So be careful when you news like that in Turkey. It may be someone trying to do provocation. As Turks - Ottoman Empire - allowed Sephardi Jews from Spain during the inquisition as a way to create a counter balance to the predominantly Greek population of the newly conquered Izmir area and Istanbul the Jews of modern Turkey also were the main thrust in mobilizing Israel and the Israeli lobby in the USA to influence USA to lift the crippling embargo that was established after Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974. If you are old enough to remember those days (I am 60 and lived through it) you may remember how the Turkish treasury was in need of even 70 cents as one PM had said. The same force has been the reason why teh Armenian genocide bill so far has been blocked from passing in the USA. It was also some of the same Jewish/Israeli influence that made EU sigh the accession document of Turkey into the EU while Bulent Ecevit was PM and Ismail Cem was FM. So don't think that the friendship is one sided. read some books like Lord Kinross' 'The rise and the fall of the Ottoman Empire" and "Ataturk". Read Rifat bali's many books and Erol Haker's "bir zamanlar Kirklarelide Yahudiler de yasardi", Henry nahum's "Les Juives D'Smirne" This one was translated to Turkish by Seval Vali. as "Izmirin Yahudileri"

@4 I used the word "still" because most of the Jews who lived in turkey gone to Israel after 1950s by their own will and by the call of the Israeli government but as i said there are STILL 35k+ Jews living in turkey. We love them and they love us and we never want them leave here since we even had Jewish MPs and officers both in Ottoman Empire and Republic of Turkey. There was even Jewish rep in the Turkish delegation at the Lausanne treaty of 1923 which leaded to the foundation of Turkish republic. Also don't forget that the first two PMs of Israel was Turkish jews with excellent command of Turkish. I also agree with your comments about Erdogan but his support is all time low for a long time and hopefully we will get rid of him at the elections of april 2011. How about the situation of your conservative and far-rightist government in Israel? @5 Then some Israelis vandalized it if not destroyed. I heard something like that in the news. Dont worry about rumors and it`s possible effect in Turkey anymore. We are not living in 1950s. If no one even broke the window of a car which belong to a Jew EVEN after your soldiers killed 9 Turks, then nothing happens with false rumors either. Can you guarantee same for the Turks in Israel? You also keep creating, theorizing the possible reasons about our historical pro-Jewish behavior but does it matter much? Yes, none of friendships are one sided but Turks saved many Jewish lives nonetheless, for whatever the reason was. We did that while the European fascists were chasing all the Jews like they were in an animal hunting party. AND i am glad that we did otherwise a language called Ladino would have existed today? OR we would have a beautiful singer called Yasmin Levy? OR who could deal with the central bank of the Ottoman Empire better than our Jewish principals? I also see that you are filled with anti-Turkish propaganda of the unholy allience of Greco-Armenian lobbies in USA. Turkish army gone to Cyprus to prevent inevitable massacre of all the Turks in island who lived there since 16th century. The very presence of our soldiers secures the lives of these people. Pull our soldiers from there today then i am %100 sure that Greeks forms EOKA terrorist organizations again to murder all the Turks in the island next day. Turkish people lives in Cyprus for 500+ years and Turkey will never recognize the fascist Junta regime product of Greek only Cyprus no matter what the world says to us. As for the Armenians; Turkey relocated the Armenians of the Anatolia(with the exception of the ones in Istanbul) by expelling them to the current Syria and Armenia but these places was still Turkey`s soil in 1915. Yes, kurdish gangs killed some of them while they were in the road but they did this as a revenge of their actions. Armenians in the eastern Anatolia equipped Russian and French soldier uniforms and took their guns. Then they started a civil war at the exact same time of British invasion attempt in the western Anatolia(Gallipoli). Every men and even women was at war in the west and Armenians started the massacres along with the Russian and French soldiers by helping them. So, they were rightfully banished from here. Lets assume if Arabs starts a war vs Israel and if Arab citizens of Israel helps them. Then what would Netanyahu does? I don't think he would even bother expelling them like we did in 1915, right?

For your unnecessary concern about the Jews living in turkey, i wanted to remind you that we have 1000+ years history of multi-cultural empires. Khazar Empire for 400 years with the Turkish rulers who embraced Judaism for themselves and for the state as an official religion. Then the multi-cultural Ottoman Empire for 600 years. So, racism or antisemitism never works here. These ideas can never have a base and never becomes the opinion of the majority in turkey. Also i wondered where you heard that the Greeks was majority in Salonika, Istanbul or Izmir? Solonika was NEVER a Greek city before 1913. It belonged to Macedonia where people speaks slavic language. Greeks occupied Macedonia at 1913 and completely hellenized it by expelling the Turks and Jews from there. They destroyed all the Jewish and Turkish buildings, mosques and synagogues first then they threw napalm bombs upon slavic Macedonian population in 1940s by accusing them being communists. Izmir belonged to the Turks since 11th century of Seljuk Empire. Turks are living here for 1000 years and Greeks was never majority here for at least 600 years. When Greeks invaded izmir at 1919, there was ~80k Greeks, ~40k Jews here and above million Turks. Check the censuses done before 1919 and you will see. Also it was the same for Istanbul as well. It would be rude for me to suggest something to a 60 year old man but i suggest you to be rational and selective when you read about Greeks and Armenians. Especially the western power`s creation of modern Greeks. OR are you that naive to believe the lies of current Greeks being the sons of Homer and Achilles? OR you believe the memoirs of 19th century German and British missioners about the wondrous creatures of the god aka modern Greeks?

1. I do not hate Turks, in fact I love Turks and Turkey.There are many Turks in Izmir, my home town who know that. In 1980ies and 1990 ies I was lobbying together with the Jewish lobby in NY to protect Turkish rights and lifting of the embargo. 2. Aboutthe Greek majority of Izmir and Salonika: Before 13 the century ther were no Turks in that art of the world. It was Greek. Efes, Bergama, Didim, Truva all Greek ruins. Before 1914 Izmir had Greek majority. Read History books, Izmirin yahudileri from Henry Nahum. Second population were Armenians. Turks came 3rd. 3. Today there are only about 20 thousand Jews in Turkey and about 2000 in Izmir. Immigration started in 1936 after the Kirklareli incidents following with the 1941 Varlik Vergisi and 20th draft military service and peaked in 1955 September 6-7. Noe because they were willing but there was anti Semitic incidents. 4. I am not telling these to you as an enemy, but as a friend. There is no problem with these, just a past that is needed to be understood and used as a lesson. That's all. But if you ignore and never learn a lesson from your past you never go ahead, you stay - counting where you are (Yerinde sayarsin) . And Finally: Don' t believe what I write because I wrote it. Go to the Milli Kutuphane which used to be near Elhambra Sinemasi and read. Lord Kinross ' bigraphy of Ataturk and the history of the Ottoman Empire. Read Rifat bali, Henry Nahum, You don't loose anything by reading. BTW: ONe of the Jewish lawyers thatwas present at Lausanne peace conference was my mother's uncle. He was later sent to Labor camp at Askale. Just for you to know.

1- I am glad to hear that but it`s normal since we never had any reason to hate each other throughout history. 2- I repeat again. Izmir belongs to the Turks since 11th century. Check your historical knowledge about when the Turks of Seljuk Empire came there. Can you explain to me whats the relation and between the monuments of 800 BC and the German/British invention of modern Greeks of 1830? Is there ANY connection between them? Are you sure that the term "Hellenes" existed among the romaika speakers of 1830? Check the results of official cencus at 1914 here; img408.imageshack.us/img408/6465/10028869.jpg I told you, it`s clear that you delved into Hellenic propaganda. Salonika was always belonged to the slavic Macedonians and Izmir belongs to the Turks for 950+ years. 3- Yes, those things happened in 1940s but if you name this "extra tax" issue as antisemitism then what was the events in Germany at WW-2, or the Spain at 1490 should have been called? Is there any other event you can tell me over our 500+ years of relationship, from 1490 to 2010? While you talk about the tax cuts of 1950, we got one incident now; Israeli soldiers killed 9 Turks 2 months ago on international waters. 4- Ok, i will keep your advice in my mind but will you consider to keep mine about being rational when reading history? P.S : Yerinde saymadığımızın ispatı, daha önce söylediğim gibi 9 kişinin ölmesine rağmen Türkiyedeki yahudilerin hiçbir zarar görmemesidir. Kimsenin arabasının lastiği bile patlamadı. Türkiye 9 israil vatandaşını öldürse acaba ne olurdu, hiç düşündünmü?

In 1972 The Israeli Ambassodior to Turkey Efraim Elrom was kidnapped and killed in Turkey. Nothiing happened in Israel against Turkey or Turks. Not even one peaceful demonstration. Today there are many Turkish Muslims living in Israel as workers and even businessman. They have never been harassed. And as for Turkish Greeks: In Mustafabey caddesi my next door neighbor was a Greek family originally from Urla, a native of the land, and the representative of Olympic airways in Izmir. After 1960 police knocked at his door picked him up leaving his wife and children in fear. A few days ago he was sent to Greece. His family left in despair until they too went to Greece a few months after. There were news in Yeni Asir that he had been found to be a tax evader but if this was true he should have been tried. After all he was a Turkish citizen. I am not saying these to make you upset but these are some experiences that I lived through. You should also know so that you can make a change for better.

I am not saying that we have flawless democracy but please stop counting minor events evolving around single person and do not enter to some king of race with me about the human rights issues in Israel or Greece and Turkey because you always loose in it. Did you know that in 2010, you still cannot express your identity as Turk in Greece? If you do that, you end up in jail because according to them, you are muslim Greek!!! They even threw an MP to the jail in 1990s just because he told that he is not Greek but Turk. Did you know that about 8000 Turkish people lost their Greece citizenship at 1990s without any reason? These people came to Turkey to see their relatives and when they tried to come back to their home in Greece, it`s been told to them that they are "personna non grata" and they lost all their properties and their relatives stayed in Greece. You talk about one person, i can tell you the same thing for 9000 people in Greece. www.hrw.org/reports/1999/greece/Greec991-06.htm All you have are these bad memories for your homeland? it cant be true, otherwise such a shame if thats the case.