Anti-Israel protest in Turkey
Photo: AP
Turkey removes anti-Semitic article
Piece published on ruling party's website denied Holocaust, said Hitler's associates were Jews
An article rife with anti-Semitic commentary was removed from the website of Turkey's ruling party Friday after receiving brief exposure, the country's Hurriyet News reported.
Another paper, the Radikal Gazetesi, featured printed screens proving the article had been posted on the Justice and Development Party (AKP)'s internet site under the heading: 'The Promised Land – Palestine'.
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In the piece, Jews were dubbed "a swarm of grasshoppers" among other derogatory terms. It also denied the Holocaust had happened.
The author of the piece, who remains unnamed, claimed that a number of Adolf Hitler's closest associates were Jews.
"The claims that Hitler incinerated and carried mass killings against Jews do not abide with the historic facts. Those who died were killed to ensure that others migrate to Palestinian territory," the article said.
The article was removed from the site after a journalist with the Radikal contacted the party in order to publish its officials' comments on the report.
The party's chairman, Halis Bilge, told the journalist he was not aware such an article had been placed on the site, and said it was the work of a hacker.
Relations with Turkey were further strained Friday when Turkish prosecutors announced they were launching an investigation on whether Israeli leaders should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity over the recent military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The Ankara chief prosecutor's office said the probe was opened after Mazlum-Der, an Islamic-oriented human rights organization in Turkey, filed an official complaint against Israeli leaders.
