Turkish PM slams Western 'double standard' in Gaza conflict

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said Western powers had failed to intervene promptly to stop the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip, calling their attitude a "double standard." In a speech in Belgium, aired live on Turkish television, Erdogan recalled the conflict between Georgia and Russia in August, charging that Western powers failed to engage as promptly to stop Israel's devastating offensive in Gaza. "The attention shown for Georgia was unfortunately not shown for Gaza... The United States did not show it and Western (European) countries did not show it," he said. "Why is this double standard? Why is this indifference, this insensitivity?" he asked. Erdogan also slammed Israel for describing its 22-day offensive, which claimed at least 1,300 lives, about a third of them children, as a success when it decided to unilaterally halt the operation early Sunday.