36 members from the U.S. House of Representatives send letter addressed to Turkish PM Erdogan stressing him to stop another attempt ‘to provoke a confrontation with Israel.

A group of members of House of Representatives from US Congress has written a non official letter to Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, asking to “help discourage efforts of conveying support forGaza and work with the Israeli government help work out a mechanism with Israel to allow legitimate humanitarian assistance but not weapons to go to Gaza without provoking a needless confrontation.”

Full text of the letter is as following:

His Excellency
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey
Ankara, Turkey

Mr. Prime Minister

We write today to express our serious concern over reports that the so-called Free Gaza Movement and the IHH are planning to send another flotilla to Gaza in the coming weeks to provoke a confrontation with Israel. As members of the United States House of Representatives we ask you to help discourage these efforts and work with the Israeli government in a productive way as it continues to allow legitimate aid, but not weapons, to enter Gaza.

The government of Israel has demonstrated a commitment to ensuring the basic needs of those living in the Gaza Strip are being met. Over the last year the capacity of existing land crossings has been increased; for example, capacity of the Kerem Shalom crossing has increased by 210 percent. More than 3600 supply trucks entered Gaza in the month of March alone, delivering tens of thousands of tons of goods, including food, clothing, medicine, and fuel. Over the past year, agricultural exports from the Gaza Strip have gradually increased and economic growth in Gaza reached 15 percent in 2010. These are all clear signs that Israeli policies are making a positive impact on the lives of the Palestinian people.

Turkey Gaza Flotallia Raided last year by Israel

The letter further underlined that the Israeli government has “right and responsibility” to protect its people, emphasizing that the “threat to Israel by weapons smuggled into Gaza is a reality.”

Aboard The Mavi Marmara, a ship from the flotilla bound to Gaza, transporting humanitarian aid, Israel operated a deadly raid, which resulted in the deaths of 9 Turkish activists last year, receiving significant negative comments and damaging the already waek Israel and Turkey relations severly.

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