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Initiative: Cancel Izmir's twin city status with TA
Yoav Zitun
Published: 10.06.10, 14:49
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13 Talkbacks for this article
1. IN THE FIRST PLACE- TURKEY DONT DESREVE OUR FRIENDSHIP !
BENJAMIN ,   SINGAPORE   (06.10.10)
WE DONT WANT TO BE FREINDS WITH TROUBLE MAKERS. WE DONT WANT THEM IN THE EU AS WELL. WE HAVE SENT MESSAGE ALL AROUND THE WORLD- WE DONT WANT TURKEY !!!!!
2. Izmir-Tel Aviv- Keep the Ties
Rich ,   Miami, USA   (06.10.10)
There is no point to break the ties. Ties should be kept open. This is not a conflict (yet) between the Turks and the Israeli people- but between the Hamas loving Islamist Erdogan and the Israeli and Jewish people. Do not turn his conflict into more. He too shall pass and so we need to preserve ties- that run over 500 years.
3. Izmir-Tel Aviv
Kagan   (06.10.10)
Erdogan calls Izmir 'gavur Izmir'. Gavur is a deragotary term, meaning goyim. Izmir never votes for Erdogan and more than 70percent of voters in Izmir voted for secular centre-left Kemalist party. I lived in both Izmir and Tel Aviv, just like millions of people I didn't even hear these two cities were twins. If you make these two cities twins, it won't change anything, but if you separate them it will give the sign that Israelis are not only againt Erdogan's government but also against 'Turkish people'. That's not a clever policy on the Israeli side.
4. Keep the partnership
Ahmet Sen ,   Germany   (06.10.10)
Izmir is one of the few cities in Turkey whose habitants do not vote for AKP. It is the so called "opposition-city" and is very secular. By canceling the partnership, Tel-Aviv would send a wrong message to the people of Izmir. Please don´t do it...
5. Izmir is the 3rd largest city and against erdogan
David Israel ,   New York, USA   (06.10.10)
So far the AKP never won an election in Izmir. The people are modern, the young ladies beautiful, the beaches in Cesme, Kusadasi, Alacati are beautiful. The Islamists call it GAVUR IZMIR which means 'ugly outsider'. Keep Izmir as a friend. It will be the door to future good relations with Turkey.
6. Would be a stupid mistake
Vito ,   New York, USA   (06.10.10)
Your enemy's enemy is your friend. What Tel-Aviv is to Israel is what Izmir is to Turkey. Izmir is a mixed city with a Mediterranean (Turkic Greek) heritage. Let's look in an work on ourselves without getting obssesed with the Turks. We fell into the trap of a person who is far dumber than us. We have a leadership crisis. Let's accept that and fix that. Izmir is not our problem.
7. maintain calm
Turkish Jew ,   Istanbul Turkey   (06.10.10)
Izmir is a city which has cosmopolitan heritage, democratic, western minded voters who DETEST the ruling party AKP and Erdogan. Therefore the majority of Izmir citizens are against the Islamofascist AKP government. Throughout many years AKP has been trying to conquer Izmir in the election campaign but each time the have failed because the residents have a very different mentality of the remaining Turks. Most of the times people of Izmir are referred as Infidels by the AKP !!! Israel should not incite those who still support her which are in minority all over the world. I agree that people in Israel are fed up with Erdogan's constant insults but maintain calm and not make enemies the people of Izmir.
8. the photo at the top
Turkish Jew ,   Istanbul Turkey   (06.10.10)
By the way this picture was taken during a huge demonstration against the ruling party AKP and Erdogan during last summer, long before the flotilla tragedy so make no mistake in believing this has taken place against Israel !
9. Fools!
Onur ,   Izmir, Turkey   (06.10.10)
The picture of Izmir in this article is quite old and it was taken at a protest against current pro-Islamic ruling party. It has no relation with the incident at Gaza. Also, historically a lot of Jews liver in this city since 1492 and still there are Jewish people here living in peace. You Israelis fooled into the trap of radical muslim groups by killing people in the ship and i see that you still continue to do that. I am sure all Hamas and Hezbollah people are joyful about your actions. They wanted to cut ties between Turkey and Israel and all you Israelis are helping them on this, nothing more.
10. TLV refuses pact with ArmenianKurdsDarfurian atrociters
we dont want YOU   (06.10.10)
11. Onur Izmirli Hemserim
David Israel ,   New York, USA   (06.10.10)
Yes Israelis fell into the trap of this extremist IHH. But what about you? In your country these groups are thriving, gaining power and creating public opinion. How come the Turks with common sense can have not been able to win over these extremists? I met several young Izmirli students in Princeton university in the past few years where my son also is pursuing his Phd. They don't want to go back to Turkey. They are convinced that Turkey has passed the point of no return, Onur. Israel is falling into the trap of a distant danger coming from Turkey. You are in it and you can not stop it. What do you expect Israel to do? Come with the IDF and fight the extremists for you? You know this is not possible. You understand me very well. These people first fooled some of the old liberal Turks even my old lefty friends who used to go to every demonstration against Demirel in 1971-1972 voted for them. Now they seem to be sorry but too late. Then they silenced the military hiding behind democracy. And many who think like you stayed silent. You were fooled that they really meant democracy. Now they are listening every telephone, video taping people in their bed room and serving it to the media, putting their opponents into Silivri jail with no charges letting some even die battling life threatening disease like cancer. So please don't blame Israelis for being fooled look at your own fools and work to make a change. I had a great childhood playing at Kulturpark, eating Cigdem at the open air Ses and Unuvar Sinemasi in hot sommer nights, meeting my friends at Mennan over a karadut ice cream. I want to see Turkey as a modern secular and successful country. But only you can make the change. Blaming it on Israel USA or EU is not the answer. You must show EU that you are worthy to be part of the western civilization that embraces science arts modern medicine over a fatalist mentality. Onur remember Muhtaç olduğun kudret, damarlarındaki asil kanda, mevcuttur!
12. Does anybody in Tel Aviv care if its not twinned with Izmir?
zionist forever   (06.10.10)
This twinning of cities thing is a gimik and actually achieves nothing. Tel Aviv is twinned with many towns & cities around the world but I bet you the average Tel Aviv resident will never have even heard of most those places if you asked them. If the little twinning ceremony doesn't happen nothing gained but nothing really lost.
13. Doesn`t matter. Attaturk is dead. Ismirians will down go
s   (06.10.10)
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