cover of episode 2021.04.27 國際新聞導讀-以色列準備軍事回應哈瑪斯火箭攻擊、以色列組閣繼續撲朔迷離、美國說土耳其種族清洗亞美尼亞人引發反擊

2021.04.27 國際新聞導讀-以色列準備軍事回應哈瑪斯火箭攻擊、以色列組閣繼續撲朔迷離、美國說土耳其種族清洗亞美尼亞人引發反擊

2021/4/26
logo of podcast 蘇老師講解國際新聞、中東與中亞歷史、中國事務、太空知識的頻道。 Diplomat's daily news review and history research on Middle East and Central Asia, China Affairs and Space Exploration

蘇老師講解國際新聞、中東與中亞歷史、中國事務、太空知識的頻道。 Diplomat's daily news review and history research on Middle East and Central Asia, China Affairs and Space Exploration

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2021.04.27 國際新聞導讀-以色列準備軍事回應哈瑪斯火箭攻擊、以色列組閣繼續撲朔迷離、美國說土耳其種族清洗亞美尼亞人引發反擊

如果加沙火箭彈持續射擊,安全內閣將授權採取廣泛的軍事行動
甘茨·內塔尼亞胡(Netanyahu)批准了代表政府進行程序的決定。3天后,從加沙地帶向以色列發射了約45枚彈丸
通過猶大阿里毛 今天晚上10:53 0

以色列的坦克於2021年4月24日沿著以色列和加沙的邊界進駐。(JACK GUEZ /法新社)
在過去三天裡,從飛地發射了幾十枚子彈後,如果加沙地帶的恐怖分子繼續向以色列發射火箭彈,安全內閣將於週一晚上作出重大軍事反應。
以色列官員說,總理本傑明·內塔尼亞胡和國防部長本尼·甘茨被授權確定如果暴力持續下去,應採取什麼步驟。
該決定是在安全閣會議上作出的,國防官員在會議上提出了一些潛在的軍事選擇,以應對進一步的火箭襲擊。官員們警告說,對哈馬斯恐怖組織的大規模罷工可能不僅在加沙而且還會在耶路撒冷和西岸爆發進一步的暴力事件。
儘管以色列國防軍尚未向加沙邊境派遣增援部隊,但周一晚上軍方正為擴大衝突的可能性做準備。
最新的暴力事件始於星期五深夜,當時加沙地帶的恐怖分子向以色列南部發射了至少36枚火箭彈和迫擊砲彈,在邊界附近的許多以色列社區造成了輕度破壞。襲擊在周六晚上重新開始,向以色列發射了四枚以上的火箭彈,其中一些未能清除邊界並降落在加沙內,然後又在周日深夜再次從以色列南部的加沙地帶發射了五枚子彈。
以色列國防軍回應了星期五晚上的襲擊,對哈馬斯基礎設施進行了罷工,但此後一直避免進行暴力報復。取而代之的是,週一星期一,軍方宣布將關閉加沙捕魚區,直至另行通知,從而切斷了這個陷入困境的飛地的主要收入來源。
進行發射的恐怖團體-解放巴勒斯坦和法塔赫人民陣線-在聲明中說,他們是對耶路撒冷持續不斷的動亂的回應,耶路撒冷動盪不休,猶太人和阿拉伯人之間發生了暴力,阿拉伯青年與阿拉伯人之間發生了衝突。以色列警察,最近幾天。襲擊事件和哈馬斯的推定批准還與巴勒斯坦內部的競爭有關,在原定於下個月舉行的選舉(大約15年以來的第一次選舉)之前,但是巴勒斯坦權力機構表示,它計劃無限期推遲。

2021年4月24日,在加沙市沙提難民營的街道上,抗議者高聲喊著反以色列的口號,而輪胎在抗議期間與在耶路撒冷的巴勒斯坦信徒們團結起來而燃燒。(美聯社照片/ Adel Hana)
除了火箭彈襲擊,在過去的三晚裡,在加沙邊界還發生了騷亂,抗議者燃燒輪胎並放出小炸藥。
自襲擊開始以來,以色列已通過各種中介機構,特別是埃及軍方和聯合國,向哈馬斯發送了許多信息,警告恐怖組織說,如果它不控制加沙地帶的其他恐怖組織,以色列國防軍將追究其責任。
週一,國防部長本尼·甘茨(Benny Gantz)會見了聯合國中東和平進程特別協調員托·溫尼斯蘭德(Tor Wennesland),這是以色列與加沙地帶恐怖組織之間的主要國際仲裁員,他談到了巴勒斯坦飛地暴力升級的情況。
甘茨在一份聲明中說:“我表達了立即停止加沙暴力的緊迫性,並重申以色列對保護其公民和主權的堅定承諾。”

2021年4月26日,國防部長本尼·甘茨(R)會見了聯合國中東和平進程特別協調員托·溫尼斯蘭德(Ariel Hermoni /國防部)
預計溫尼蘭德將於當天晚些時候前往開羅與埃及情報官員進行會談,埃及情報官員過去也曾在以色列和哈馬斯之間進行調解。從那裡,他將前往安曼,與約旦官員就耶路撒冷局勢進行會晤。
瓦拉新聞網站說,以色列官員向溫尼蘭解釋說,關閉加沙捕魚區是對火箭彈非軍事反應的最後一次嘗試,但從現在起,以色列將使用武力打擊襲擊。官員要求告訴哈馬斯,從以色列的角度來看,關於邊界安定的現有理解仍然存在,並且不會容忍持續的火箭彈射擊。
以色列官員還強調,在原定於5月22日舉行的巴勒斯坦選舉預計推遲的背景下,以色列將不容許自己陷入任何內部巴勒斯坦爭端。

以色列男孩檢查了2021年4月24日從加沙地帶發射的一枚火箭降落在以色列的地點(美聯社照片/ Tsafrir Abayov)
週一早些時候,哈馬斯對以色列完全關閉加沙捕魚區感到憤怒,稱其將不接受限制,該政策將產生嚴重影響。
Ynet新聞網站說:“以色列將承擔後果,”哈馬斯說。“加沙地帶對漁民的封鎖是對他們權利的公然侵犯,是對我們人民的持續侵略形式。以色列對巴勒斯坦人民的侵略政策不會破壞其堅定不移的精神,不會削弱其拳頭或限制其決心。
恐怖組織說:“我們不會接受對巴勒斯坦人民的限制性措施和壓力,以色列將承擔其侵略行為的後果。”
以色列時代的工作人員對此報告做出了貢獻。
Security cabinet authorizes broad military action if Gaza rocket fire continues
Netanyahu, Gantz given green light to decide how to proceed on behalf of government; step comes after some 45 projectiles fired at Israel from the Strip in 3 days
By JUDAH ARI GROSS Today, 10:53 pm 0

Israeli tanks are stationed along the Israel-Gaza border, on April 24, 2021. (JACK GUEZ / AFP)
The security cabinet on Monday evening signed off on a major military response if terrorists in the Gaza Strip continue to fire rockets into Israel, after dozens of projectiles were launched from the enclave over the past three days.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz were authorized to determine what steps to take should the violence persist, according to Israeli officials.
The decision came following a security cabinet meeting in which defense officials presented a number of potential military options in response to further rocket attacks. The officials warned that a large strike on the Hamas terror group could lead to an outbreak of further violence not only in Gaza, but also in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Though the Israel Defense Forces has not yet sent reinforcements to the Gaza border, the military on Monday night was gearing up for the possibility of a wider conflict.
The latest violence began late Friday night, when terrorists in the Strip launched at least 36 rockets and mortar shells at southern Israel, causing light damage in a number of Israeli communities near the border. The attacks resumed on Saturday night, when more than four rockets were fired toward Israel, some of them failing to clear the border and landing inside Gaza, and then again late Sunday night, when five more projectiles were fired from the Strip at southern Israel.
The IDF responded to the Friday night attacks with strikes on Hamas infrastructure, but has refrained since then from retaliating violently. Instead, on Monday morning, the military announced it was closing the Gaza fishing zone until further notice, cutting off a major source of income for the beleaguered enclave.
The terror groups that conducted the launches — the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Fatah — said in statements that they were a response to ongoing unrest in Jerusalem, which has seen violence between Jews and Arabs, as well as clashes between Arab youths and Israeli police, in recent days. The attacks and Hamas’s presumed approval of them have also been tied to internal Palestinian competition, ahead of elections that were scheduled for next month — the first elections in some 15 years — but which the Palestinian Authority has indicated it plans to postpone indefinitely.

Protestors chant anti-Israel slogans, while tires burn during a protest in solidarity with fellow Palestinian worshipers in Jerusalem, at the streets of Shati refugee camp, Gaza City, April 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
In addition to the rocket attacks, riots have been held along the Gaza border for the past three nights, with protesters burning tires and setting off small explosives.
Since the start of the attacks, Israel has sent a number of messages to Hamas through a variety of intermediaries — notably the Egyptian military and the United Nations — warning the terror group that if it did not rein in the other terror groups in the Strip, that the IDF would hold it responsible.
On Monday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland — a major international arbiter between Israel and terror groups in the Gaza Strip — regarding the escalating violence from the Palestinian enclave, his office said.
“I expressed the urgency of the immediate cessation of violence from Gaza and reiterated Israel’s unyielding commitment to protecting its citizens and sovereignty,” Gantz said in a statement.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz (R) meets with United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland on April 26, 2021. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)
Wennesland was expected to travel later in the day to Cairo for talks with Egyptian Intelligence officials, who in the past have also mediated between Israel and Hamas. From there, he will head to Amman, for meetings with Jordanian officials about the situation in Jerusalem.
Israeli officials explained to Wennesland that the closure of the Gaza fishing zone was the last attempt at a non-military response to the rocket fire, but that from now on, Israel would use force to counter the attacks, according to the Walla news site. The officials asked that Hamas be told that existing understandings for calm on the border are, from Israel’s point of view, still in place, and that continued rocket fire will not be tolerated.
The Israeli officials also stressed that Israel will not allow itself to be dragged into any internal Palestinian disputes against the backdrop of the expected delay in Palestinian elections that had been scheduled for May 22, according to the report.

Israeli boys examine the site where a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed in Israel, April 24, 2021. (AP Photo/ Tsafrir Abayov)
Earlier Monday, Hamas reacted furiously to Israel’s full closure of the Gaza fishing zone, saying it would not accept the restrictions and that the policy would have serious repercussions.
“Israel will bear the consequences,” Hamas said, according to the Ynet news site. “The closure of the Gaza Strip to fishermen is a blatant violation of their rights and constitutes a form of ongoing aggression against our people. Israel’s aggressive policy toward the Palestinian people will not break its steadfast spirit or weaken its fist or limit its determination.
“We will not accept restrictive measures and pressure on the Palestinian people, and Israel will bear the consequences of its aggressive behavior,” the terror group said.
內塔尼亞胡表示願意在最新的輪換交易提議中讓薩爾成為第一任總理
據報導,利庫德集團官員認為,新希望主席可能會同意這一安排,因為他只許不坐下現任總理的職位
TOI工作人員今天下午11:42 2

總理本傑明·內塔尼亞胡(Benjamin Netanyahu)與利庫德集團候選人吉迪恩·薩爾(Gideon Sa'ar)握手,他將於2019年3月11日在耶路撒冷Menachem Begin Heritage Center舉行利庫德派會議。(Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
據希伯來媒體週一報導,據報導,總理本傑明·內塔尼亞胡(Benjamin Netanyahu)沒時間組建聯盟,願意與前盟友基迪恩·薩爾(Gideon Sa'ar)輪換現任新希望領導人,以首先擔任總理。
據報導,內塔尼亞胡等待接任總理期間內塔尼亞胡將繼續住在總理的官邸內,而類似的交易也已提交給雅米納領導人納夫塔利·本內特和藍白主席貝尼·甘茨。
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據報導,要約還剩八天,內塔尼亞胡試圖組建政府,然後要求他將任務授權還給里夫林總統。如果內塔尼亞胡未能組成聯盟,里夫林可能會要求誓言不要與現任總理一起參加政府的政黨領導人之一。
根據第12頻道的新聞,內塔尼亞胡的利庫德市認為,防止“變革集團”組建聯盟的唯一方法是向薩爾提供支持,薩爾的新希望黨在3月23日的大選中僅贏得了6個席位。擔任總理。
迄今為止,利庫德前部長薩阿爾已經拒絕了內塔尼亞胡對新希望運動承諾不再加入現任領導人領導的政府的呼籲。
然而,據第12頻道報導,利庫德族官員認為,薩爾可能同意輪換協議,因為他只許諾不要坐在內塔尼亞胡的下面,而不是在他旁邊。
該網絡進一步推測,尚未排除與內塔尼亞胡坐在一起的亞米娜主席貝內特將被迫同意加入由薩爾-內塔尼亞胡領導的聯盟,原因是他承諾如果可能的話不會破壞右翼政府形成。

Yamina主席Naftali Bennett領導2021年4月26日在以色列議會舉行的派系會議。(Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
根據第13頻道的新聞報導,薩爾並沒有排除這種可能性,該頻道的一位政治評論家表示,該選項“肯定是可以呼吸的” 。薩爾週一早些時候在他的新希望黨的以色列議會派會議上拒絕回答有關擬議交易的問題。
希伯來媒體最近幾天的報導表明,內塔尼亞胡甚至懇求內塔尼亞胡向各個敵對政黨領導人輪換擔任總理,甚至擔心內塔尼亞胡可能在第11個小時後退並推動以色列議會投票選舉新的選舉,因此,注定了其他任何人組建政府的前景。
薩爾和貝內特在派系會議上發表講話時說,他們寧願組建一個右翼政府,即使在內塔尼亞胡必須返回任務授權的前八天也是如此。然而,雖然貝內特表示,如果內塔尼亞胡設法組建一個聯盟,他會感到很振奮,但薩爾堅持自己的立場,即他不會在利庫德集團領導人任職,總理必須辭職。
同時,雙方都表示對正在進行的組建統一政府以取代內塔尼亞胡的談判持謹慎態度,並承認他們與中間派耶什·阿蒂德黨(Yesh Atid party)之間仍然存在巨大差距。
貝內特在Yamina派系會議開幕式上的媒體講話中說:“存在差距,這並非易事。”

新希望領導人吉迪恩·薩爾(Gideon Sa'ar)在2021年4月26日舉行的以色列議會派會議上發表講話(Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
“這需要各方的節制和克制。我們堅持認為政府必須反映人民的意願和以色列議會的組成。”他補充說,指的是約60%的利庫德(30),沙斯(9),聯合摩西五經猶太教( 7),伊斯雷爾·貝特努(Yisrael Beytenu)(7),亞米娜(Yamina)(7),宗教猶太復國主義(6)和新希望(6)。貝內特已與拉皮德(Lapid)進行談判,拉皮德領導尋求驅逐內塔尼亞胡的政黨集團,即使政府由更多左翼和中間派議員組成,右派仍在內閣中佔多數。
貝內特似乎正在與薩爾協調他的信息,薩爾說:“組建統一政府有困難。我不能說是否會組建這樣的政府,但重要的是要繼續努力直到最後。我們有義務竭盡全力防止第五次選舉。”
拉皮德在貝內特和薩爾不久之後對記者發表講話時承認,他們在統一談判中存在差距,“但我們所有人都同意我們需要一個專職的政府。”
拉皮德堅持認為,兩年內舉行第五次選舉對以色列經濟將是災難性的,他說有可能在一周或十天之內達成組建統一政府的協議。他說:“就我們而言,我們將竭盡所能。”
Netanyahu said willing to let Sa’ar be PM first in latest rotation deal proposal
Likud officials reportedly believe New Hope chair may agree to arrangement since he has only promised not to sit ‘under’ the incumbent premier
By TOI STAFFToday, 11:42 pm 2

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shakes hands with Likud candidate Gideon Sa'ar as he arrives for a Likud faction meeting at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem on March 11, 2019. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, running out of time to form a coalition, is reportedly willing to offer former ally Gideon Sa’ar a rotation deal with the current New Hope leader to serve first as prime minister, Hebrew media reported Monday.
Similar deals, which would see Netanyahu continue to live at the prime minister’s official residence while he waits to take over as prime minister, have reportedly been presented to both Yamina leader Naftali Bennett and Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz.
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The reported offers come with eight days remaining for Netanyahu to try and form a government before he is required to return the mandate to do so to President Rivlin. If Netanyahu fails to form a coalition, Rivlin may task one of the leaders of parties that have vowed not to sit in a government with the incumbent prime minister with doing so.
According to Channel 12 news, Netanyahu’s Likud believes that the only way to prevent the “change bloc” from forming a coalition is to offer Sa’ar, whose New Hope party won just six seats in the March 23rd election, the opportunity to immediately serve as prime minister.
Sa’ar, a former Likud minister, has so far rebuffed Netanyahu’s appeals to junk New Hope’s campaign pledge to not join in a government led by the incumbent.
According to Channel 12, however, Likud officials believe Sa’ar may agree to a rotation deal since he has only promised not to sit “under” Netanyahu and not “alongside” him.
The network further speculated that Yamina chair Bennett, who has not ruled out sitting with Netanyahu, would be forced to agree to join a Sa’ar-Netanyahu-led coalition, due to his promise not to torpedo a right-wing government if it can be formed.

Yamina chair Naftali Bennett leads a faction meeting in the Knesset on April 26, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
According to Channel 13 news, Sa’ar has not ruled out the possibility and a political pundit for the channel said the option was “certainly living and breathing.” Sa’ar refused to answer a question on the proposed deal at his New Hope party’s Knesset faction meeting earlier Monday.
Hebrew media reports in recent days have suggested that the various rival party leaders being wooed by Netanyahu to rotate the premiership with him, even when going first, are worried that Netanyahu might backtrack at the eleventh hour and push through a Knesset vote for new elections, thus dooming anyone else’s prospect of forming a government.
Speaking at their faction meetings, Sa’ar and Bennett both said that they would prefer that a right-wing government be formed, even in the coming eight days before Netanyahu must return the mandate. However, while Bennett said he would be thrilled if Netanyahu managed to cobble together a coalition, Sa’ar maintained his position that he would not serve under the Likud leader and that the premier would have to step aside.
At the same time, both expressed caution over ongoing negotiations to form a unity government to replace Netanyahu, admitting that significant gaps remained between them and the centrist Yesh Atid party, whose leader insisted that they are still bridgeable.
“There are gaps, it will not be easy,” Bennett said in his prepared remarks before the media at the opening of Yamina’s faction meeting.

New Hope leader Gideon Sa’ar speaks during a Knesset faction meeting on April 26, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
“It requires a lot of moderation and restraint from all sides. We insist that the government reflect the will of the people and the composition of the Knesset,” he added, referring to the parliamentary makeup of roughly 60 percent right-wing lawmakers from Likud (30), Shas (9), United Torah Judaism (7), Yisrael Beytenu (7), Yamina (7), Religious Zionism (6) and New Hope (6). Bennett has pushed in negotiations with Lapid, who leads the bloc of parties seeking to oust Netanyahu, that the right have a majority in the cabinet, even if the government consists of a larger number of left-wing and centrist lawmakers.
Bennett appeared to be coordinating his message with Sa’ar, who said, “There are difficulties in forming a unity government. I can’t say if a government like this will be formed, but it is important to pursue this effort until the end. We have an obligation to do everything to prevent fifth elections.”
Addressing reporters shortly after Bennett and Sa’ar, Lapid acknowledged that gaps exist in their unity talks, “but we all agree that we need a full-time functioning government.”
Insisting that a fifth election in two years would be catastrophic for the Israeli economy, Lapid said that it would be possible to reach an agreement to form a unity government within a week or 10 days. “We, for our part, will do everything,” he said.
外交消息人士稱,阿巴斯有望推遲選舉,但可能會付出沉重的代價
消息人士說,推遲投票的決定可能會使國際夥伴疏遠。巴勒斯坦人十五年來沒有舉行過全國大選
亞倫BOXERMAN今天下午5:28 1

巴勒斯坦權力機構主席馬哈茂德·阿巴斯(Mahmoud Abbas)在2020年8月18日在約旦河西岸城市拉馬拉舉行的巴勒斯坦領導人會議上講話。
一位外交消息人士告訴以色列時報,巴勒斯坦權力機構主席馬哈茂德·阿巴斯可能會推遲即將舉行的巴勒斯坦大選。
這位不願透露姓名的消息人士說:“我們的期望是選舉將被推遲,但這將給阿巴斯帶來沉重的代價。”他不願透露姓名,因為他們無權公開討論此事。
巴勒斯坦人定於5月22日舉行15年的首次全國投票。最近一次巴勒斯坦民族選舉是2006年舉行的,當時哈馬斯以壓倒性優勢擊敗了阿巴斯的法塔赫運動。
消息人士補充說,如果阿巴斯決定推遲選舉,這位年邁的巴勒斯坦總統很可能會以以色列對東耶路撒冷巴勒斯坦人能否參加保持沉默為由辯解,但沒人會相信。
包括哈馬斯和伊斯蘭聖戰組織領導人在內的巴勒斯坦領導人定於週四舉行會議,以決定在以色列未正式允許東耶路撒冷巴勒斯坦人參加的情況下,選舉能否繼續進行。
阿巴斯的反對者最近幾天指控,廣受反對的巴勒斯坦權力機構總統擔心遭到政治失敗,正以以色列的拒絕為藉口,放棄舉行投票。阿巴斯的法塔赫運動面臨內部嚴峻的分歧,導致人們擔心哈馬斯的競爭對手會輸掉這場戰爭。

文件:巴勒斯坦權力機構主席馬哈茂德·阿巴斯(Mahmoud Abbas)將於2020年9月3日在他位於西岸城市拉馬拉的總部參加一次領導會議。
消息人士認為,如果推遲選舉,阿巴斯可以通過規定舉行選舉的可信,現實的日期來限制公眾和國際社會的損失。
“問題是-他們推遲有日期還是沒有日期?如果他們推遲約會而沒有約會,以色列人和國際社會就會認為這是取消約會。”
消息人士說,如果阿巴斯推遲投票,可能會產生巨大的反響,並敦促阿塞拜疆允許選舉繼續進行。
“以色列將反對當前配置下的每次選舉,因為他們從前進的選舉中沒有任何收穫。消息人士說,變革的唯一催化劑-是您。
2006年的選舉導致國際社會抵制不穩定的統一政府。2007年,雙方爆發內戰。經過一場血腥的鬥爭,數百人喪生,哈馬斯將法塔赫從加沙地帶驅逐到西岸。
當廣受歡迎的阿巴斯發布一項正式法令,命令在1月中旬舉行選舉時,許多觀察家都認為這是提高他衰落合法性的絕技。儘管如此,選舉持續了數月之久,人們的期待和樂觀情緒逐漸增強。
據說,侯賽因·謝赫(Hussein al-Sheikh)和馬吉德·法拉吉(Majid Faraj)等密切的阿巴斯顧問從一開始就反對這一舉動。投票最突出的支持者法塔赫秘書長吉布里爾·拉賈布(Jibil Rajoub)認為,這主要是在阿巴斯離職後的第二天,提高他的公眾信譽。
在過去幾天中,越來越多的報導表明選舉可能被推遲,因此,對拉瑪拉首先宣布投票的決定的公開批評越來越多。
法塔赫高級官員阿扎姆·艾哈邁德(Azzam al-Ahmad)在周四的電話中說:“我從一開始就反對選舉,因為我反對在以色列佔領下舉行選舉。”

在2012年10月20日的這張照片中,巴勒斯坦權力機構主席阿巴斯(Mahmoud Abbas)在西岸城市拉馬拉的投票站進行投票後,露出了沾滿墨水的手指。(美聯社/ Majdi Mohammed)
這場比賽在3月底震驚了巴勒斯坦的政治舞台,當時廣受歡迎的巴勒斯坦恐怖定罪者馬萬·巴爾古提(Marwan Barghouti)宣布,他將競選候選人以對抗阿巴斯。
Barghouti和長期的Abbas評論家Nasser al-Kidwa僅在3月31日截止日期前幾個小時提交了提名。巴勒斯坦高級官員,包括在以色列監獄中探訪過巴爾古蒂的謝赫,一再試圖向他們施加壓力,要求他們繼續留在這一區域,但無濟於事。
這位外交人士說,拉馬拉感到有足夠的信心可以控制投票結果。但是,巴爾古提(Barghouti)發出的威脅使選舉陷入混亂,阿巴斯內部圈子的高級官員意識到了失敗的真正可能性。
阿巴斯推遲選舉的理由將取決於東耶路撒冷的高度象徵性地位。巴勒斯坦人堅持認為,如果不包括他們希望的未來首都,就不可能進行選舉。
以色列與巴勒斯坦解放組織之間的一系列雙邊協議《奧斯陸協定》規定,在即將到來的投票中,象徵性數量的巴勒斯坦人(可能在大約6300人左右)可以在整個有爭議的首都的指定郵局投票。絕大多數(超過15萬)將在西岸的投票箱中投票。
但是以色列拒絕巴勒斯坦權力機構在耶路撒冷的任何活動,以色列認為這是對以色列主權的侵犯。它打擊了巴勒斯坦的政治活動,包括在過去一個月內試圖舉行選舉活動的法塔赫候選人兩次被捕。
1月17日,謝赫(Al-Sheikh)寫信給他的以色列對手卡米爾·阿布·魯坎(Kamil Abu Rukun),要求以色列在西岸,加沙和東耶路撒冷的巴勒斯坦投票中給予合作。

巴勒斯坦權力機構高級官員侯賽因·謝赫給以色列安全機構同僚的信,內容涉及預定的巴勒斯坦大選(禮貌)
2006年,這是巴勒斯坦人最後一次進行全國投票。美國和國際社會向以色列施壓,要求其允許郵局投票。但是,巴勒斯坦官員表示,這次國際關注度有所下降。
巴勒斯坦解放組織高級官員艾哈邁德·馬賈達拉尼(Ahmad Majdalani)上週在電話中說:“目前,壓力還沒有達到應有的水平,尤其是在2006年選舉中發揮了重要作用的美國政府。”
巴勒斯坦權力機構高度依賴國際援助,主要來自歐洲聯盟,美國和聯合國。
有人認為這是巴勒斯坦人的一種運動,指責國際社會沒有對以色列施加足夠的壓力,迫使其允許東耶路撒冷投票,這可能會對他們與美國,歐洲捐助國或聯合國等國家的關係產生影響。
“如果我們要向巴勒斯坦領導人提供建議,我們將向他們提供建議-為什麼要冒險?為什麼要疏遠您的堅定夥伴?” 外交消息人士說。
Abbas expected to delay election, but could pay heavy price – diplomatic source
A decision to push off the vote may alienate international partners, source says; Palestinians have not held a national election for 15 years
By AARON BOXERMANToday, 5:28 pm 1

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a meeting of the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank city of Ramallah, August 18, 2020. (Flash90)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will likely postpone the upcoming Palestinian elections, a diplomatic source told The Times of Israel.
“Our expectation is the elections are going to be postponed, but it will come at a very heavy price for Abbas,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.
Palestinians are scheduled to head to their first national vote in 15 years on May 22. The last Palestinian national elections were held in 2006, when Hamas defeated Abbas’s Fatah movement in a landslide.
Should Abbas decide to delay the elections, the aging Palestinian president will likely cite as justification Israel’s silence on whether East Jerusalem Palestinians can participate — but no one was likely to believe it, the source added.
The Palestinian leadership — including leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad — is scheduled to meet on Thursday to decide whether the elections can go forward without Israel officially permitting East Jerusalem Palestinians to participate.
Abbas’s opponents have charged in recent days that the widely unpopular PA president, fearful of political defeat, is using Israel’s refusal as an excuse to back away from holding the vote. Abbas’s Fatah movement faces stark internal divisions, leading to fears of a loss to its Hamas rivals.

FILE: PA President Mahmoud Abbas attends a leadership meeting at his headquarters, in the West Bank city of Ramallah on September 3, 2020. (Alaa Badarneh/Pool Photo via AP)
Should the elections be delayed, the source posited, Abbas could limit the damage among the public and in the international community by stating a credible, realistic date for them to be held.
“The question is — do they postpone with a date or without a date? If they postpone without a date, it will be perceived by the Israelis and the international community as a cancellation,” they said.
If Abbas postponed the vote, it could have dramatic repercussions, the source said, urging the leader to allow the elections to go forward.
“Israel will object to every election under the current configuration because there’s nothing for them to gain from a vote going forward. The only catalyst for change — it’s you,” the source said, referring to Abbas.
The 2006 elections led to an unstable unity government boycotted by the international community. In 2007, civil war broke out between the two sides. After a bloody struggle that left hundreds dead, Hamas expelled Fatah from Gaza to the West Bank.
When the widely unpopular Abbas issued a formal decree ordering the elections in mid-January, many observers dismissed it as a stunt to shore up his fading legitimacy. Nonetheless, the election advanced for months, with anticipation and optimism slowly building.
Close Abbas advisers such as Hussein al-Sheikh and Majid Faraj were said to oppose the move from the beginning. The vote’s most prominent supporter — Fatah Secretary-General Jibril Rajoub — viewed it primarily as a means to shore up his popular credibility for the day after Abbas’s departure.
In the last few days, as more and more reports indicate that the elections could be postponed, open criticism of the decision to call the vote in the first place has grown louder in Ramallah.
“I opposed the elections from the very beginning, because I oppose holding elections under Israeli occupation,” senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad said in a phone call on Thursday.

In this October 20, 2012, photo, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas shows his ink-stained finger after casting his vote during local elections at a polling station in the West Bank city of Ramallah. (AP/Majdi Mohammed)
The race dramatically shook the Palestinian political arena at the end of March, when popular Palestinian terror convict Marwan Barghouti announced he would run a slate of candidates against Abbas.
Barghouti and longtime Abbas critic Nasser al-Kidwa submitted their slate mere hours before the March 31 deadline. Senior Palestinian officials — including al-Sheikh, who visited Barghouti in Israeli prison — repeatedly sought to pressure them to remain within the fold, but to no avail.
According to the diplomatic source, Ramallah had felt reasonably confident it could control the outcome of the vote. But the threat emanating from Barghouti sent the elections into a tailspin, with senior officials in Abbas’s inner circle sensing a real possibility of defeat.
Abbas’s justification for delaying the election will rely on the highly charged symbolic status of East Jerusalem. The Palestinians insist that an election cannot happen if their hoped-for future capital is not included.
The Oslo Accords, a series of bilateral agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, stipulate that a symbolic number of Palestinians — in the upcoming vote, likely around 6,300 — can vote at designated post offices throughout the contested capital. The vast majority — over 150,000 — will vote at ballot boxes in the West Bank.
But Israel resists any Palestinian Authority activity in Jerusalem, which it views as a violation of its sovereignty. It has cracked down on Palestinian political activity, including arresting Fatah candidates twice in the past month when they sought to hold election events.
On January 17, al-Sheikh sent a letter to his Israeli counterpart, Kamil Abu Rukun, asking for Israeli cooperation in the Palestinian vote in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem.

A letter from senior Palestinian Authority official Hussein al-Sheikh to his counterpart in the Israeli security apparatus regarding the scheduled Palestinian elections (courtesy)
In 2006 — the last time the Palestinians went to a national vote — the United States and the international community pressured Israel into allowing the post office vote. But Palestinian officials have said there is less international interest this time around.
“Right now, the pressures are not as they ought to be, especially those of the US administration, which played an important role in the 2006 elections,” senior Palestine Liberation Organization official Ahmad Majdalani said in a phone call last week.
The Palestinian Authority is highly dependent on international aid, mostly from the European Union, the United States, and the United Nations.
What some see as a campaign by Palestinians to blame the international community for not sufficiently pressuring Israel into allowing the East Jerusalem vote could have repercussions for their relations with those countries — such as the United States, European donors, or the United Nations.
“If we were to advise the Palestinian leadership, we would advise them — why take the risk? Why alienate your steadfast partners?” the diplomatic source said.
Bennett,Sa'ar在團結談判中強調差距;Lapid堅稱它們是可橋接的
“變革集團”派系首腦在以色列集會,內塔尼亞胡組建政府僅剩八天
TOI工作人員今天下午5:05 0

從左至右:Yesh Atid的黨魁Yair Lapid(Miriam Alster / Flash90);Yamina黨的主席納夫塔利·貝內特(Naftali Bennett);和新希望黨負責人基迪恩·薩爾(Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
右翼的亞米納黨和新希望黨的領導人對周一進行的組建統一政府的談判表示謹慎,承認他們與中間派耶什·阿蒂德黨之間仍然存在重大差距,後者的領導人堅持認為,他們仍然可以彌合。
在議會每週一次的派別會議開幕式上向記者們發表了評論。該會議還剩八天,總理本傑明·內塔尼亞胡(Benjamin Netanyahu)試圖組建政府,然後要求他將這樣做的任務交還給里夫林總統。
Yamina主席Naftali Bennett和New Hope主席Gideon Sa'ar都表示,他們寧願組建一個右翼政府,即使在內塔尼亞胡必須返回任務授權的前八天也是如此。然而,雖然貝內特表示,如果內塔尼亞胡設法組建一個聯盟,他會感到很振奮,但薩爾堅持自己的立場,即他不會在利庫德集團領導人任職,總理必須辭職。
Bennett和Sa'ar承認這不是他們理想的情況,但都表示他們準備與Yesh Atid以及左傾的工黨和Meretz政黨組成一個聯合聯盟。

Yamina主席Naftali Bennett領導2021年4月26日在以色列議會舉行的派系會議。(Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
貝內特在Yamina派系會議開幕式上的媒體講話中說:“存在差距,這並非易事。”
“這需要各方的節制和克制。我們堅持認為政府必須反映人民的意願和以色列議會的組成。”他補充說,指的是約60%的利庫德(30),沙斯(9),聯合摩西五經猶太教( 7),伊斯雷爾·貝特努(Yisrael Beytenu)(7),亞米娜(Yamina)(7),宗教猶太復國主義(6)和新希望(6)。貝內特已與拉皮德(Lapid)進行談判,拉皮德領導尋求驅逐內塔尼亞胡的政黨集團,即使政府由更多左翼和中間派議員組成,右派仍在內閣中佔多數。
貝內特似乎正在與薩爾協調他的信息,薩爾說:“組建統一政府有困難。我不能說是否會組建這樣的政府,但重要的是要繼續努力直到最後。我們有義務竭盡全力防止第五次選舉。”
當被問及是否願意與內塔尼亞胡(Natanyahu)分享權力協議時,薩爾是否願意首先擔任總理,薩爾拒絕回答。據報導,利庫德族領導人的盟友一直在浮動,因為內塔尼亞胡組建聯盟的潛在途徑似乎被封鎖。
薩阿爾模仿了貝內特最近幾天使用的一條路線,稱任何統一政府都必須“捍衛我們的價值觀和世界觀”。
拉皮德在貝內特和薩爾不久之後對記者發表講話時承認,他們在統一談判中存在差距,“但我們所有人都同意我們需要一個專職的政府。”

新希望主席吉迪恩·薩爾(Gideon Sa'ar)將於2021年4月26日在以色列議會舉行一次派系會議。(Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
拉皮德堅持認為,兩年內舉行第五次選舉對以色列經濟將是災難性的,他說有可能在一周或十天之內達成組建統一政府的協議。他說:“就我們而言,我們將竭盡所能。”
耶什·阿蒂德(Yesh Atid)領導人後來表示,目前由利庫德(Likud)的亞里夫·萊文(Yariv Levin)擔任議會發言人的職位,必須由他的政黨控制,以捍衛民主。
一旦任務授權被退回,里夫林將有幾種選擇,包括責成下一個立法者-反對派領袖拉皮德。
據報導,貝內特和拉皮德之間的談判取得了一些進展,拉皮德的集團包括左翼,中間派和右翼政黨,在一些關鍵的國家問題上,世界觀有著截然不同的世界觀。希望政府中不超過20名部長的拉皮德(Lapid)同意貝內特(Bennett)和薩爾(Sa'ar)的要求,儘管還有多少人仍在爭論,但據第13頻道報導。
在關鍵部門的控制方面也存在爭議。儘管第13頻道報導各方達成協議,甘茨將繼續擔任國防部長,但坎恩公共廣播電台表示,薩爾想擔任這一職務。坎恩報導說,司法部正受到新希望黨,亞米納黨和該集團中的一些左翼政黨的追逐,而工黨和伊斯雷爾·貝特努黨則在財政部爭吵。此外,據該電視台稱,教育部正在與新希望和左翼的梅雷茨黨競爭。

Yesh Atid主席Yair Lapid於2021年4月26日在以色列議會上亮相。(Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
根據希伯來媒體的報導,貝內特-拉皮德政府將以拉皮德和貝內特之間的總理職位輪換為基礎。然而,據《第十二頻道》報導,據說貝內特在自己的右翼民族主義政黨內部不願與Lapid合作,他的Yamina的七名議員中有些可能不同意加入這樣的聯盟。這將進一步阻礙拉皮德建立一個可行的聯盟的努力。
如果沒有組成政府,該國將在兩年半的時間內舉行第五次選舉。
Bennett, Sa’ar stress gaps in unity talks; Lapid insists they’re bridgeable
‘Change bloc’ faction heads assemble in Knesset with only eight days remaining for Netanyahu to form a government
By TOI STAFFToday, 5:05 pm 0

Left to right: Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid (Miriam Alster/Flash90); Yamina party chief Naftali Bennett; and New Hope party head Gideon Sa'ar (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The leaders of the right-wing Yamina and New Hope parties expressed caution over ongoing negotiations to form a unity government on Monday, admitting that significant gaps remained between them and the centrist Yesh Atid party, whose leader insisted that they are still bridgeable.
The comments were made to reporters at the opening of weekly faction meetings at the Knesset, which were held with eight days remaining for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to try and form a government before he is required to return the mandate to do so to President Rivlin.
Yamina chair Naftali Bennett and New Hope chair Gideon Sa’ar both said that they would prefer that a right-wing government be formed, even in the coming eight days before Netanyahu must return the mandate. However, while Bennett said he would be thrilled if Netanyahu managed to cobble together a coalition, Sa’ar maintained his position that he would not serve under the Likud leader and that the premier would have to step aside.
While admitting it wasn’t their ideal scenario, Bennett and Sa’ar both said that they were prepared to join a unity coalition with Yesh Atid and the left-leaning Labor and Meretz parties.

Yamina chair Naftali Bennett leads a faction meeting in the Knesset on April 26, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
“There are gaps, it will not be easy,” Bennett said in his prepared remarks before the media at the opening of Yamina’s faction meeting.
“It requires a lot of moderation and restraint from all sides. We insist that the government reflect the will of the people and the composition of the Knesset,” he added, referring to the parliamentary makeup of roughly 60 percent right-wing lawmakers from Likud (30), Shas (9), United Torah Judaism (7), Yisrael Beytenu (7), Yamina (7), Religious Zionism (6) and New Hope (6). Bennett has pushed in negotiations with Lapid, who leads the bloc of parties seeking to oust Netanyahu, that the right have a majority in the cabinet, even if the government consists of a larger number of left-wing and centrist lawmakers.
Bennett appeared to be coordinating his message with Sa’ar, who said, “There are difficulties in forming a unity government. I can’t say if a government like this will be formed, but it is important to pursue this effort until the end. We have an obligation to do everything to prevent fifth elections.”
Asked if he would be willing to serve first as premier as part of a power-sharing agreement with Netanyahu, Sa’ar refused to answer. The Likud leader’s allies have reportedly been floating such a prospect as Netanyahu’s potential routes to assembling a coalition appear blocked.
Parroting a line used in recent days by Bennett, Sa’ar said any unity government would have to “safeguard our values and worldview.”
Addressing reporters shortly after Bennett and Sa’ar, Lapid acknowledged that gaps exist in their unity talks, “but we all agree that we need a full-time functioning government.”

New Hope chair Gideon Sa’ar leads a faction meeting in the Knesset on April 26, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Insisting that a fifth election in two years would be catastrophic for the Israeli economy, Lapid said that it would be possible to reach an agreement to form a unity government within a week or ten days. “We, for our part, will do everything,” he said.
The Yesh Atid leader later said that the position of Knesset speaker, which is currently held by Likud’s Yariv Levin, needs to be controlled by his party in order to safeguard democracy.
Once the mandate is returned, Rivlin will have several options, including tasking the next lawmaker in line — opposition leader Lapid.
There had reportedly been some progress in talks between Bennett and Lapid, whose bloc comprises an assortment of left-wing, centrist, and right-wing parties with dramatically different worldviews on some key national issues. Lapid, who wants there to be no more than 20 ministers in the government, has agreed to Bennett and Sa’ar’s demand that there be more, though just how many is still disputed, Channel 13 reported.
There are also disputes over the control of key ministries. Though Channel 13 reported that there is agreement among the parties that Gantz would remain defense minister, the Kan public broadcaster said that Sa’ar wants the post. The Justice Ministry is being chased by New Hope, Yamina, and some of the left-wing parties in the bloc, while the Labor and Yisrael Beytenu parties are haggling over the Finance Ministry, Kan reported. Also, the Education Ministry is being contested by New Hope and the left-wing Meretz party, according to the station.

Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid in the Knesset on April 26, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
A Bennett-Lapid government would be based on a rotation of the premiership between Lapid and Bennett, according to Hebrew media reports. However, Bennett is said to be facing reluctance from within his own right-wing nationalist party to cooperate with Lapid, and some of his Yamina’s seven lawmakers may not agree to join such a coalition, Channel 12 reported. That would further hamper Lapid’s efforts to build a viable coalition.
Should no government be formed, the country will head to its fifth elections in two and half years.
埃爾多安說,拜登的種族滅絕認識“毫無根據”,損害了與美國的關係
土耳其總統說,美國總統應該“照照鏡子”,因為安卡拉還可以提起“美國原住民,黑人和越南的情況”。
通過法新社今天晚上9:24 2

土耳其總統兼正義與發展(AK)黨領袖Recep Tayyip Erdogan在2021年4月21日在安卡拉舉行的土耳其大國民議會(GNAT)執政AK黨小組會議上發表講話(Adem ALTAN / AFP)
土耳其安卡拉-土耳其的雷傑普·塔伊普·埃爾多安(Recep Tayyip Erdogan)週一譴責美國總統拜登(Joe Biden)將亞美尼亞種族滅絕視為“毫無根據”並有害於雙邊關係。
埃爾多安(Erdogan)在拜登(Biden)週六在紀念1915-17年悲慘事件的儀式上發表具有里程碑意義的聲明之前發表了措辭謹慎的聲明。
但是土耳其總統並沒有在電視講話中平息他的憤怒,他還曾經指出美國奴隸制和對美國原住民的迫害歷史。
埃爾多安說:“美國總統發表的言論毫無根據,而且是不公平的。”

土耳其總統兼正義與發展(AK)黨領袖Recep Tayyip Erdogan在2021年4月21日在安卡拉舉行的土耳其大國民議會(GNAT)執政AK黨小組會議上發表講話(Adem ALTAN / AFP)
“我們認為,在亞美尼亞激進組織和反土耳其圈子的壓力下,這些評論已被納入宣言。但是這種情況並不能減少這些評論的破壞性影響。”
在歷史學家和學者的支持下,亞美尼亞人說,在第一次世界大戰期間,有150萬人死於奧斯曼帝國統治下的種族滅絕大屠殺。
安卡拉承認,隨著奧斯曼帝國軍隊與沙皇俄國作戰,亞美尼亞人和土耳其人都大量喪生。
但是土耳其堅決否認種族滅絕的蓄意政策,並指出當時該詞尚未在法律上定義。
拜登自1月份上任以來首次打電話給埃爾多安,試圖平息土耳其人不可避免的憤怒。
兩國領導人在周五的電話會議中同意在6月的北約峰會期間會晤。
但埃爾多安(Erdogan)週一表示,拜登在稱百年曆史的大屠殺為種族滅絕時需要“照鏡子”。
埃爾多安說:“我們還可以談論美洲原住民,黑人和越南發生了什麼。”

時任美國副總統喬·拜登,左,與土耳其總統雷傑普·塔伊普·埃爾多安合影,右,在2016年1月23日在伊斯坦布爾的伊爾迪茲·馬貝因宮舉行會議之前。

“關係退步了”
土耳其周六召集美國大使抱怨拜登的決定打開了“難以修復的關係傷口”。
華盛頓一直在為憤怒的土耳其反應做好準備。
為了關閉星期一和星期二,美國關閉了安卡拉使館和伊斯坦布爾及其他兩個城市的領事館,以提供公民和簽證服務。
大使館還向在土耳其的美國公民發出了一項諮詢,“以避開美國政府大樓周圍的區域,並在可能有美國人或外國人聚集的地方加倍謹慎”。
週一,數十名憤怒的土耳其人高喊口號,並在集會上高舉橫幅,美國駐伊斯坦布爾領事館外。

美國總統喬·拜登2021年4月15日在華盛頓白宮東廳談到俄羅斯。(美聯社照片/安德魯·哈尼克)
一面旗幟說:“土耳其人民,反對美國的謊言。” 自冷戰以來,另一個呼籲土耳其關閉美軍的空軍基地。
埃爾多安(Erdogan)與美國前總統唐納德·特朗普(Donald Trump)建立了個人友誼,這有助於保護土耳其免受各種制裁。
拜登政府已經將人權和其他棘手問題視為土美關係的一個突出特徵。
埃爾多安說:“土耳其與美國的關係已經退步了。”
但是他更樂觀地補充說,他“堅信在6月我們見面時可以打開新的大門”,在布魯塞爾舉行的北約會議上。
Erdogan says Biden’s genocide recognition ‘groundless,’ harms ties with US
Turkish president says US counterpart should ‘look in the mirror,’ as Ankara can also bring up ‘what happened to Native Americans, Blacks, and in Vietnam’
By AFPToday, 9:24 pm 2

Turkish President and leader of Justice and Development (AK) Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during his ruling AK Party's group meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (GNAT), in Ankara, on April 21, 2021. (Adem ALTAN / AFP)
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday denounced US President Joe Biden’s recognition of the Armenian genocide as “groundless” and harmful to bilateral ties.
Erdogan had issued a carefully-worded statement moments before Biden made his landmark announcement on Saturday at a ceremony commemorating the tragic 1915-17 events.
But the Turkish president did not hold back his anger in a televised address that he also used to point out the US history of slavery and persecution of Native Americans.
“The US president has made comments that are groundless and unfair,” Erdogan said.

Turkish President and leader of Justice and Development (AK) Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during his ruling AK Party’s group meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (GNAT), in Ankara, on April 21, 2021. (Adem ALTAN/AFP)
“We believe that these comments were included in the declaration following pressure from radical Armenian groups and anti-Turkish circles. But this situation does not reduce the destructive impact of these comments.”
The Armenians — supported by historians and scholars — say 1.5 million of their people died in a genocide committed under the Ottoman Empire, during World War I.
Ankara accepts that both Armenians and Turks died in huge numbers, as Ottoman forces fought tsarist Russia.
But Turkey vehemently denies a deliberate policy of genocide and notes that the term had not been legally defined at the time.
Biden tried to temper the inevitable Turkish anger by calling Erdogan for the first time since taking office in January.
The two leaders agreed in Friday’s phone call to meet on the sidelines of a NATO summit in June.
But Erdogan said on Monday that Biden needed “to look in the mirror” when calling the century-old events a genocide.
“We can also talk about what happened to Native Americans, Blacks, and in Vietnam,” Erdogan said.

Then-US vice president Joe Biden, left, poses for photographers with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, prior to a meeting at Yildiz Mabeyn Palace in Istanbul on January 23, 2016. (Kayhan Ozer/ Presidential Press Service, Pool via AP)

‘Relations have regressed’
Turkey on Saturday summoned the US ambassador to complain that Biden’s decision had opened “a wound in relations that is difficult to repair.”
Washington had been bracing for a furious Turkish response.
The United States closed its Ankara embassy and the consulate in Istanbul and two other cities for citizen and visa services as a precaution for Monday and Tuesday.
The embassy also issued an advisory to US citizens in Turkey “to avoid the areas around US government buildings, and exercise heightened caution in locations where Americans or foreigners may gather.”
Dozens of angry Turks shouted slogans and held up banners at a rally on Monday outside the US consulate in Istanbul.

US President Joe Biden speaks about Russia in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on April 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
“Turkish people, stand up against American lies,” said one banner. Another called on Turkey to shut down an air base US forces have been using since the Cold War.
Erdogan enjoyed a personal friendship with former US president Donald Trump that helped shield Turkey from various sanctions.
Biden’s administration has made human rights and other prickly issues a prominent feature of Turkish-US relations.
“The level of Turkish-US relations has regressed,” Erdogan said.
But he added on a more optimistic note that he was “convinced that a new door can be opened when we meet in June” at the NATO meeting in Brussels.
Turkey says it will respond in time to 'outrageous' US genocide statement
Turkey accepts that many Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces in World War One, but denies the killings constitute a genocide.
By REUTERS
APRIL 25, 2021 19:24

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a symbolic funeral prayer for the former Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi at the courtyard of Fatih Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, June 18, 2019.
(photo credit: REUTERS/MURAD SEZER)
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US President Joe Biden's declaration that the massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire constituted genocide is "simply outrageous" and Turkey will respond in various ways over the coming months, Turkey's presidential spokesman said on Sunday.
Biden broke on Saturday with decades of carefully calibrated White House comments over the killings in 1915, delighting Armenia and its diaspora in the United States but further straining ties between Washington and Ankara, two NATO allies.
"There will be a reaction of different forms and kinds and degrees in coming days and months," Ibrahim Kalin, President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman and adviser, told Reuters in an interview.
Kalin did not specify whether Ankara would restrict US access to the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey, which has been used to support the international coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, or other measures it may take.
Turkish officials swiftly condemned Biden's statement on Saturday, and Kalin said Erdogan would address the issue after a cabinet meeting on Monday. "At a time and place that we consider to be appropriate, we will continue to respond to this very unfortunate unfair statement," he said.
Turkey accepts that many Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces in World War One, but denies the killings were systematically orchestrated and constitute a genocide.
TROUBLED RELATIONS
For decades, measures recognizing the Armenian Genocide stalled in the US Congress and most US presidents have refrained from calling it that, stymied by concerns about relations with Turkey and intense lobbying by Ankara.
But those relations are already troubled. Washington has put sanctions on Turkey over its purchase of Russian air defenses, while Ankara has been angered that the United States has armed Kurdish YPG fighters in Syria and not extradited a US-based cleric Turkey accuses of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt.
Navigating those disputes will now be even harder, Kalin said. "Everything that we conduct with the United States will be under the spell of this very unfortunate statement," he said.
Kalin said US officials had told Turkey that the declaration would not provide any legal basis for potential claims of reparations over the killings.
Nevertheless, Erdogan told the US president when they spoke by phone on Friday, their first conversation since Biden took office three months ago, that it would be a "colossal mistake" to go ahead with his statement.
"To reduce all that to one word and try to implicate that Turks were involved, our Ottoman ancestors were involved in genocidal acts is simply outrageous," Kalin said. "It's not supported by historical fact."
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