US Jewish group wants its award back from Turkey's Erdogan

An association of Jewish Americans said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become the world's "most virulent anti-Israeli leader" and demanded he return an award it gave him a decade ago, partly for his efforts to broker peace between Israel and Palestinians.

The New York-based American Jewish Congress awarded Erdogan its "Profile of Courage" award in 2004 for what it said was his stance on fighting terrorism and working toward peace.

"Now, we want it back," the association's president, Jack Rosen, said in an open letter to Erdogan dated July 23 and made public on Thursday. He cited the Turkish leader's comments last weekend that Israel had "surpassed Hitler in barbarism" through its attacks on Gaza.

"A decade after we gave you our award, you have become arguably the most virulent anti-Israel leader in the world -- spewing dangerous rhetoric for political gain and inciting the Turkish population to violence against the Jewish people," the letter said.

Anti-Israeli sentiment runs high in Turkey, and Erdogan's rhetoric plays well with his base of largely conservative Sunni Muslim voters, who he hopes will hand him victory in Turkey's first direct election of a president in August.

There is widespread anger in Turkey over Israel's Operation Protective Edge in Gaza Strip. Israel maintains the right of self-defense against terrorist rocket fire.

Israel said last week it was reducing its diplomatic presence in Turkey after protesters pelted its consulate in Istanbul with stones and draped Palestinian flags on the ambassador's residence in Ankara.

The U.S. State Department called Erdogan's earlier remarks, in which he likened Knesset member Ayelet Shaked (Habayit Hayehudi) to Hitler and said the Jewish state was terrorizing the region, "offensive and wrong."

Turkey, a member of the U.S.-led NATO military alliance, was once Israel's closest regional ally. Washington considered it a credible broker in the Middle East peace process.

Rosen said Erdogan had forfeited Turkey's seat "at the table of legitimate mediators" and that all parties would have been better off had he remained a "proponent of peace."

Erdogan has made no apology for his stance, criticizing the West and Arab nations and acknowledging in a television interview on Monday that he no longer spoke with U.S. President Barack Obama as frequently as in the past.

On Thursday, Erdogan said Turkey would push for Israel to be tried by the International Criminal Court if it kept up its Gaza campaign, and accused the Jewish state of "spitting blood."

"If Israel continues with this attitude, it will definitely be tried at international courts," Erdogan, who is campaigning for a presidential election on Aug. 10, told a rally of supporters in the southern port city of Mersin.

"We will see this happen and Turkey will struggle for this," he told the cheering crowd.

"At the moment, Hamas is prepared for everything in order to achieve a cease-fire. [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud] Abbas is prepared too," Erdogan told CNN in an interview on Thursday.

"Israel is not even approaching such a thing and is spitting death, spitting blood," he said. He stood by his comments likening Israel's actions to those of Hitler and said it was "committing genocide."

"It is beyond comprehension that Israel is still defended by the West and the world is silent about it. Therefore we cannot remain silent and we will not be silent," Erdogan said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said earlier on Thursday that Turkey was working with international partners to negotiate both a cease-fire and access for humanitarian aid.

"The U.S., Turkey, Qatar and Egypt have been working for the last five days to ensure an immediate cease-fire," he said, adding that Ankara was in constant contact with Palestinian leaders.

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