Erdoğan: Israel is behind Egypt coup, has evidence

The Turkish prime minister has suggested that Israel is behind the military intervention in Egypt that removed President Mohammed Morsi.

“Israel is behind the coup in Egypt, we have evidence,” Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told members of his party meeting in Ankara on Tuesday. He cited a French intellectual, without mentioning his name, who, according to Erdoğan, said in 2011 that the Muslim Brotherhood won't be in power even if they are elected because “democracy is not the ballot box.” Erdoğan stressed the Jewish identity of the French intellectual.
Erdoğan has been a strong backer of Morsi as an example of a democratically elected Islamic leader. He is also one of the biggest critics of a coup that ousted Morsi from power.
Israel's İstanbul Consulate released a statement on Tuesday, citing Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yigal Palmor's comment on Erdoğan's remarks on Israel. "This is one of those statements that is well worth not commenting on!" Palmor reportedly said.