ANKARA, Jan 16: Turkey’s prime minister on Friday said Israel should be barred from the United Nations while it ignores the body’s calls to stop fighting in Gaza.“How is such a country, which totally ignores and does not implement resolutions of the UN Security Council, allowed to enter through the gates of the UN (headquarters)?” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Erdogan spoke before UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was due to arrive in Ankara to discuss the conflict. Erdogan’s comments reflected a growing anger in Turkey, Israel’s best friend in the Muslim world, over Israel’s Gaza operation. Ban is on a weeklong trip to the region to promote a truce after both sides ignored a UN resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

“The UN building in Gaza was hit while the UN secretary-general was in Israel,” Erdogan said. “This is an open challenge to the world, teasing the world.”

Israel infuriated the UN on Thursday when it shelled the world body’s headquarters in Gaza City, where hundreds of Gazans were seeking cover from the fighting among food and supplies meant for refugees.

The destruction added to what aid groups say is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and increased tensions between Israel and the international community even as diplomats engaged in cease-fire talks.

Erdogan said the Islamic militant group Hamas does not have specifically military installations or headquarters in Gaza, as alleged by Israel, and that civilians were becoming victims of attacks on hospitals and mosques. In an anti-Israel demonstration in Istanbul after Friday prayers, around 1,500 pro-Islamic protesters chanted “We’re all soldiers of Hamas!”—AP