Simsek's tweet
Furor over Turkish deputy prime minister's condemnation of Jerusalem attack
Mehmet Simsek writes on Twitter 'Again we condemn another despicable act of terrorism today in Jerusalem,' causing anger among the Palestinians on social media, particularly Hamas, leading him to delete the tweet.
Turkey's deputy prime minister condemned the truck-ramming terror attack in Jerusalem that claimed the lives of four IDF soldiers and suffered the wrath of Palestinians on social media.
"Again we condemn another despicable act of terrorism today in Jerusalem. Humanity deserves nations to unite against terrorism without excuses," Mehmet Simsek wrote in English on his Twitter account.
There were reports that the Turkish prime minister, Binali Yildirim, also expressed his condolences to the families of the victims in the attacks in Jerusalem and Bahgdad on Sunday, but there is no confirmation of that.
Turkish deputy prime minister condemns Jerusalem attack
Simsek's tweet was also posted to his Facebook page and caused an outrage, mostly among Palestinians.
Palestinian factions, including Hamas, also slammed the deputy prime minister's tweet. "The Turkish condemnation is unacceptable," some Hamas members tweeted.
"The real terrorism is the one the occupation uses against our people and the slaughter it commits against the Palestinians," said Hazzam Qassam, a Hamas spokesman. He also noted that Hamas appreciates Turkey's support of the organization.
The uproar caused by the tweet both on social media and in the traditional media led Simsek to delete it a day later.
Last summer, Israel and Turkey signed a reconciliation agreement after six years of diplomatic freeze caused by an Israeli raid on a Turkish Gaza-bound flotilla, but the relationship between Ankara and Jerusalem is still quite cold.
However, following the terror attack at an Istanbul nightclub on New Year's, which claimed the lives of 39 people including an Israeli, the government in Jerusalem was quick to condemn it.
