Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip [1] has new fans across the Arab world, notably in Egypt where one blogger went on to describe him as the “leader of the world.” Another sees fault in Arab leaders who are not standing up for the Palestinian cause.
By storming out [2] of a debate at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and after the moderator refused to give him extra time to rebut Israeli President Shimon Peres’ explanation of what happened during the Israel-Gaza conflict, Erdoğan is getting the thumbs up from bloggers.
Maher Mahmoud wrote in his blog Kelmety [3]:
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وقال أردوغان في وقت لاحق إنه لم يغادر جلسة النقاش بسبب خلافاته مع بيريز ولكن لأنه منح وقتا أقل بكثير من بيريز للرد على ماقاله الرئيس الإسرائيلي.
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Erdoğan said later on that he did not leave because of the debate itself, but because he was lesser time than Peres to reply to what the Israeli President has said.
Abu El Maaly Fayek also wrote about the incident in his blog Lokmet Eish [4]:
Zeinab – Bent Masreya – wrote another post here [5] calling him the “leader of the world”:
إنما الآن.. هناك زعيم حقيقي، يراه شعب آخر، لمسوا جهوده وعرفوا نظافة يده وسمعوا صوت الحق صادرا منه بقوة وبصراحة.. فاستقبلوه في المطار ملوحين له بأن “أهلا وسهلاً بزعيم العالم”
هكذا استقبل الأتراك رئيس وزرائهم، هكذا أشعر أنا أيضاً.
But now, there is real leader, a leader who has been received by his people at the airport with the slogan “Welcome, the Leader of the World,” after they have seen his honesty and heard the voice of truth coming out of his mouth.
This is how the Turkish people have received their Prime Minister, and this is how I feel too.
And finally Ahmed Abdel Moneam wrote in his blog Tasrehat [6]:
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ثم تكتمل اليوم ببعض الاخبار و المواقف التي تؤكد اعلان شهادة وفاة الجالسين علي مقاعد قيادة الوطن العربي فهذة اسبانيا و القضاء الاسباني الذى يلاحق القادة الاسرائلين في جرائم الحرب التي ترتكب في غزة “ بغض النظر عن ما يقال حول تعديل القانون بحيث ان لا تحاكم هؤلا و لكن علي الاقل هناك هيئة في الدولة تحتكم الي الضمير الانسانى “ من جانب اخر نرى ذلك الرجل الذى يستحق كل تحية و احترام و تقدير انة رجب طيب اردغان
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And today the Spanish judicial system decided to chase after the Israeli leaders and punish them for their crimes in Gaza, which emphasizes the political death of the Arab leaders. Regardless of what is being said that the Spanish law may be changed in order not to try the Israelis, yet there is an organization out there that tries to listen to the human conscience. And on the other hand, we see this man who deserves praise and respect. He is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Also on Global Voices Online:
Turkey: Prime Minister Storms out of Davos Hearing [7]