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Pro-AKP media accuses Israel of role in Turkish corruption scandal

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to break the "dirty alliance" at the core of the crackdown.
(L-R) Ministers of Turkey's ruling Ak Party (AKP) Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz, Agriculture Minister Mehdi Eker and Interior Minister Muammer Guler attend a ceremony in Ankara December 18, 2013.Scores of people including the sons of Interior Minister Guler, Economy Minister Caglayan and Environment and City Planning Minister Erdogan Bayraktar, prominent businessmen close to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, and local government officials were detained on Tuesday in the biggest
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The easiest way in Turkey to get out of a difficult political corner, especially if you have Islamist leanings, is to point at Israel as the country orchestrating developments you don’t like. This is not to naively suggest that Israel does not interfere in the affairs of other countries in an effort to arrange things to its advantage. But to see a Jewish or Israeli hand in every Turkish crisis has become a knee-jerk reaction, even in crises that are blatantly home grown.

The massive corruption probe that went public Dec. 17, the fine details of which have been amply covered by Al-Monitor’s Turkey Pulse, has shaken the Turkish government to the core when crucial local elections are just three months away and presidential elections are due to be held later in the year.

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