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Israel is making the visa process difficult in order to reduce the number of Turkish tourists visiting Jerusalem, according to Turkish tour operators.
Mehmet Esmer, the owner of Turkish-based tour company Mihmandar, said on Tuesday that Israel’s Interior Ministry has aggravated the visa requirements for Turkish citizens. “There are restrictions,” he told Anadolu Agency.
Esmer said Israel requires Turkish citizens to pay deposits when applying for visas, and added: “I paid $60,000 four months ago as a guarantee for four tour groups. Still couldn’t get the money back. No news from the Interior Ministry yet.”
Normally they do three or four tours a month, and make a lot of money from them, he said.
Esmer said that some people cannot get their deposits back, if -- for instance -- they unfurl a flag at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque, take pictures in forbidden areas, or argue with the Israeli police.
“They try to reduce the number of Turks visiting Jerusalem. Everybody knows that. Many people from other parts of the world are coming but none of them are subjected to this.”
Esmer added that they had to cancel many Jerusalem tours due to Israel’s treatment.
- ‘We canceled 6 tours’
Echoing Esmer, Numan Balci, the owner of Kible tours, said that the $15,000 deposit is not fair.
"They don't ask some groups for the deposit, while they do ask others. We don't know what the policy is," he told Anadolu Agency.
Also, Balci said Israel only issues one visa per person per year, and this is another factor driving away visitors.
“Israel’s practices change on a daily basis,” he said, adding: “We had to cancel six tours due to these circumstances. The government should encourage people to visit sacred sites, especially Jerusalem.”
Turkey’s presidential spokesperson on Tuesday called on Israel to stop its attacks on Gazans and for the international community to take responsibility in response to Israel's recent attacks.Speaking to Anadolu Agency in the capital Ankara, Ibrahim Kalın said: “These attacks have once again shown Israel’s unlawful, tyrannical, and occupying stance.”“These attacks on the Gazan people should be immediately stopped. The international community, which has kept silent about the Israeli attacks, should take responsibility and act," he said.Kalın said the whole world should reject Israel's occupying and expansionist policies, which seek to turn Palestinian soil into an open-air prison. Championing a two-state solution for the Palestinian issue, Kalın said: “It is clear that the existing Israeli government does not believe in a two-state solution and is working to sabotage the process.” He added: “It is impossible to accept a solution which does not consider the independence and security of the Palestinian people. The Palestinians are neither alone nor helpless.”Turkey will continue to stand by the Palestinian people's just cause, he said. Five Palestinians were martyred in renewed Israeli attacks in Gaza on Tuesday and Monday following rocket fire from the seaside territory. The Israeli army said more than 20 people were injured by rocket fire. Monday’s attacks came one day after seven Palestinians and an Israeli soldier were killed in an undercover Israeli operation in the blockaded enclave. Since March, more than 200 Palestinians have been martyred and thousands more injured by Israeli army fire during protests demanding the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their ancestral home in what is now Israel.Israel suspends talks for Gaza truceHamas says holding contacts to halt Israeli attacksGaza groups warn Israel over attacks on civilian homesPalestinian martyred in fresh Israeli raid in Gaza
Turkey urges Israel to end attacks on Gazans
The Israeli government has suspended talks with Egypt and the United Nations for reaching a truce in the Gaza Strip, a senior Israeli official said on Tuesday.Tel Aviv “has no contacts with Egypt and the United Nations on a cease-fire with Gaza", said the official, who preferred to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to speak to media.The move came as Israel’s security cabinet convened Tuesday under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to assess the situation in Gaza.According to Israeli Channel 7, the assessment in the Israeli cabinet is that “despite the severe escalation, Israel is not embarking on a large-scale operation or a ground incursion into Gaza."Hamas says holding contacts to halt Israeli attacksUN peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov earlier said he was working closely with Egypt and all concerned to halt violence in Gaza.“The escalation in the past 24 hours is extremely dangerous and reckless. Rockets must stop, restraint must be shown by all,” he said on Twitter. “No effort must be spared to reverse the spiral of violence.”At least five Palestinians were martyred in renewed Israeli attacks in Gaza on Tuesday and Monday following rocket fire from the seaside territory. The Israeli army said more than 20 people were injured by rocket fire. The Israeli attacks came one day after seven Palestinians and an Israeli soldier were killed in an undercover Israeli operation in the blockaded enclave. Since March, more than 200 Palestinians have been martyred and thousands more injured by Israeli army fire during protests demanding the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their ancestral home in what is now Israel.Gaza groups warn Israel over attacks on civilian homes
Israel suspends talks for Gaza truce
Palestinian resistance group Hamas said Tuesday it was holding urgent contacts with a view to halting the Israeli military escalation in the Gaza Strip.“These contacts aim at halting the Zionist (Israeli) escalation and its continuing aggression on our people in the Gaza,” senior Hamas member Izzat al-Rishq said on Twitter.He, however, did not provide further details about these contacts.At least five Palestinians were martyred in renewed Israeli attacks in Gaza on Tuesday and Monday following rocket fire from the seaside territory. The Israeli army said more than 20 people were injured by rocket fire.The Israeli attacks came one day after seven Palestinians and an Israeli soldier were killed in an undercover Israeli operation in the blockaded enclave.Since March, more than 200 Palestinians have been martyred and thousands more injured by Israeli army fire during protests demanding the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their ancestral home in what is now Israel.
Hamas says holding contacts to halt Israeli attacks