Turkish PM says country won’t give in to ‘Jewish lobby’
Remarks come after President Erdogan accuses the ‘parallel structure’ seeking to overthrow him of collaborating with the Mossad
Marissa Newman is The Times of Israel political correspondent.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Sunday Ankara would not give in to the “Jewish lobby” or other parties supposedly working against the government.
The comments came on the heels of accusations by the president that the Israeli Mossad was working in coordination with the “parallel structure” to bring down his ruling AKP party.
“I announce it from here: we have not and will not succumb to the Jewish lobby, the Armenian lobby or the Turkish-Greek minority’s lobbies,” Davutoğlu said, according to the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News.
The prime minister also addressed the so-called “parallel” structure, as coined by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in reference to members of the government allegedly planning a covert toppling of Erdogan’s rule.
“I call out to the parallel lobby…: We will stand before you with dignity no matter where you are; you will be despicable for the treason you have done to this nation.”
Erdogan has repeatedly lashed out against the “parallel structure,” high-ranking members of the police and judiciary who are followers of Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen and who he said are attempting to undermine his government.
On January 31, Erdogan accused the “parallel structure” of working with the Mossad.
“The sincere people backing this parallel structure should see with whom this structure is cooperating with,” Erdoğan said. “Shame on them if they still cannot see that this structure is cooperating with the Mossad.”
