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Erdogan Slams Israel, Calls for Integration with Arab World
(Today's Zaman-Turkey) Israel's disproportionate use of force against civilians, along with Turkey's firm will to integrate with Arab countries, were the two main themes of Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's messages delivered during a two-day official visit to Lebanon. On Thursday, accompanied by several ministers of his cabinet, Erdogan received a leadership award from the Beirut-based Union of Arab Banks (UAB). "What can be more natural than that?" Erdogan asked at the award ceremony. Erdogan was given a hero's welcome on his arrival in Lebanon, with supporters waving Turkish flags and posters to greet him on the streets. But on Thursday, hundreds of Lebanese of Armenian descent clashed with Lebanese army troops during a protest over his visit. In Beirut's Martyrs' Square, demonstrators tore up a large poster of Erdogan and pelted troops with rocks. Lebanon has 150,000 Armenians, nearly 4% of its population, who harbor deep animosity toward Turks over the 1915 killing of Armenians in the final days of the Ottoman Empire.