ANKARA — Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has criticized the United States for rebuking the Turkish prime minister over his comments linking Israel to the Egyptian president's ouster. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested this week that Israel was behind the overthrow of Egypt's Islamic leader Mohammed Morsi, prompting condemnation from the White House which said the comments were offensive, unsubstantiated and wrong. In an interview aired on Kanal 24 station late Wednesday, Davutoglu said Erdogan's comments were about Israel and not the United States and said such public condemnation of Turkey's leader by “a friend and ally” was unacceptable. Davutoglu also says Erdogan's comments were misinterpreted and that Erdogan was referring to a “mentality” that had led to a coup in Egypt and not a plot hatched by Israel. Meanwhile, a powerful partner of Israel's prime minister said Erdogan's incitement against Israel makes him a successor to Nazi propagandist Josef Goebbels. Former Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman said that “whoever heard the hateful and inciting words of Erdogan understands that this is Goebbels' successor.” Relations have soured dramatically between the former allies since Israeli commandos stormed a pro-Palestinian ship trying to breach a blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2010. The countries agreed to restore diplomatic ties earlier this year but tensions remain. — AP
