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| Courtesy of BBC |
Türkiye’s President Erdoğan is quoted as saying that that Türkiye has ended diplomatic relations with Israel. More than one news source puts it that way. “Says Erdoğan” and “Erdoğan claims”. This looks slightly odd. Surely the more usual way to put it would be to simply state that Türkiye had broken off relations with Israel. The “says” and “claims” bits are normally reserved for unreliable sources of the “who wished to remain anonymous” sort.
And indeed one is led to reflect on the number of ways in which Erdoğan is unreliable, although not particularly as a source. I consult J who is probably as cynical as I but better informed. “He hasn’t stopped sending them oil though, has he?” And indeed there is the story in France’s RFI: “Turkey Talks Tough on Israel but Resists Calls to Cut Off Oil”. The oil isn’t Turkish. It will be from Azerbaijan and Iraqi Kurdistan but via pipelines that terminate at the Turkish port of Ceyhan. From there it’s shipped down the coast past Syria and Lebanon to Israel.
Reading the news in the Middle East as tricky as reading it in Canada.
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