Turkish player plants Palestinian flag on field

A Turkish soccer player planted a Palestinian flag in the middle of the field at a match on Tuesday, in an apparent protest against Israel's offensive in Gaza, Turkish broadcasters reported.

Sivasspor midfielder Ibrahim Dagasan placed the flag on the center spot at a stadium in the central Turkish city of Sivas after his side beat Galatasaray in the quarter final of the Turkey Cup.

After he did so, some spectators chanted: "Damn Israel". Dagasan then raised a finger to his mouth, gesturing for them to be silent. One of Dagasan's team mates is the Israeli forward Pini Balili.

The Israeli military campaign, which ended in a Jan. 18 truce, triggered protests in Turkey where there is widespread support for the Palestinians.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was given a hero's welcome on his return home last Friday after accusing Israel of "knowing very well how to kill" during a sharp exchange with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum.

“Show us respect”

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Sunday called on Ankara to show respect for Israel after Erdogan stormed off the stage in Davos.

"We enjoy important strategic relations with Turkey, which is why I expect Turkey to show respect vis-a-vis Israel despite the demonstrations on the street and the very hard images aired bout Gaza," Livni told public radio.

Predominantly Muslim non-Arab Turkey has been Israel's main regional ally since 1996, one of the few Muslim nations to have relations with the Jewish state, when the two signed a military cooperation agreement, much to the ire of Arab countries and Iran.

We enjoy important strategic relations with Turkey, which is why I expect Turkey to show respect vis-a-vis Israel despite the demonstrations on the street and the very hard images aired bout Gaza

Tzipi Livni

Turkey denies anti-Semitism

Erdogan pledged Tuesday never to allow anti-Semitism to take hold in Turkey, in a bid to calm the country's Jewish minority, increasingly concerned over his attacks on Israel over the Gaza war.

During Israel's 22-day deadly assault on Gaza, a sign reading "Jews cannot enter, dogs can" was put at the door of a civic group's office in the central city of Eskisehir and removed only after a media outcry, while anti-Semitic graffiti appeared on two synagogues in two cities.

"There has never been anti-Semitism in the history of this nation and country," Erdogan told a parliamentary group meeting of his Justice and Development Party.

Turkey's tiny Jewish community—numbering about 23,000 people—have expressed fear that anti-Semitism is creeping into predominantly Muslim Turkey and have reported several incidents of hostility.

The incidents came against backdrop of almost daily criticism from Erdogan targeting regional ally Israel, as thousands staged anti-Israeli demonstrations across Turkey.