German ruling parties attack Erdogan for criticizing Israel

Germany's governing parties, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Free Democratic Party (FDP), attacked Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his outspoken criticism of the Zionist regime, the news magazine Der Spiegel reported Tuesday. The foreign policy expert of the CDU/CSU faction in the European parliament, Elmar Brok accused Erdogan of using the conflict with Israel to gain regional credibility. The Turkish leader made international headlines after cutting all diplomatic relations and freezing military and trade ties with Israel the previous week over last year's killing of nine Turkish activists aboard a Gaza-bound ship meant to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population. Meanwhile, the head of the FDP in the European parliament, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff openly warned Erdogan that his critical policy of Israel would harm Turkey's relations with Europe. He accused the Turkish prime minister of engaging in 'canon boat rhetoric.' Germany is a staunch ally of the Zionist regime and only very rarely criticizes the illegal Zionist state. Berlin is also playing a leading role in actively sabotaging the Palestinian independence campaign in the UN amid ongoing pressure by the Zionist lobby.