TEHRAN - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has lauded Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for taking a stand against Israel’s war on the Palestinians of Gaza.

On Thursday, during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Erdogan reproached Israeli President Shimon Peres over the Gaza offensive, saying, “You kill people,” and then stalked off the stage.
In a message issued on Saturday, Ahmadinejad said Erdogan’s words were in fact the “cry” of the oppressed Palestinian people and his “courageous action” in the face of the Zionist regime’s “fabrications” created a sensation among justice-seeking people of the world.
“The Iranian nation respects your valuable deed,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ali Akbar Velayati, the foreign policy adviser of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, said on Saturday that the Turkish prime minister’s response came at the “best possible moment”.
While all Western media outlets avoid covering issues that would undermine the position of certain powers, Erdogan stood up to Israel’s president, and this has delighted the Iranian nation, the Turkish people, and all other Muslims, he told a gathering of people in Karaj.
Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee spokesperson Kazem Jalali also praised Erdogan.
The Turkish prime minister’s recent action represents the will of the Muslim world, Jalali told the Mehr News Agency on Saturday.
His move was based on determination and courage and showed the Muslims of the world that there are still Muslim officials who will object to certain powers’ endless human rights violations, he added.
He also expressed hope that Turkey would complement Erdogan’s move by expelling the Zionist regime’s ambassador to Ankara.
The Iranian co-chairman of the Iran-Turkey Parliamentary Friendship Group, Ali-Akbar Aqaii, said here on Saturday that the stance taken by the Turkish prime minister should be taken up by the entire Muslim world.
His recent remarks in Davos symbolized the world’s outrage over Tel Aviv’s crimes against the oppressed women and children of Palestine, he told the Mehr News Agency.
He said he planned to send a letter to his Turkish counterpart to show support for Erdogan’s stance and emphasize the need for Muslim states to multilaterally object to the Zionist regime’s crimes.
Grand Ayatollah Lutfollah Safi Golpaygani sent a message to the Turkish prime minister on Saturday to commend him for his protest against Peres in Davos.
In the message, he stated that Erdogan’s statements condemning Israel’s “unprecedented genocide” have made the world’s one and a half billion Muslims and all free and conscientious people greatly admire him.
After an angry exchange with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Erdogan argued that Hamas should be brought into the Mideast peace process.
He noted that Israel’s moves provoked Hamas. “You expect them to sit obediently?” he asked in an interview, Reuters reported.
The Turkish prime minister’s frank criticism has come as his relationship with Israel appears to be in a downward spiral.