Erdogan: "Israel must remove its foreign minister"

Prime Minister Recep Erdogan, whose ties with Israel have been badly strained over the past year, on Wednesday called on Tel Aviv to remove Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, saying that he poses an obstacle to Middle East peace. Erdogan called Lieberman "a problem at the head of Israel" in an interview with al-Jazeera TV. "Israelis must rid themselves [of Lieberman] and that is surely their duty and not ours," he told the network. "When the Israelis meet these conditions, we will reassess the situation." Erdogan wants Israel to end its blockade on the Gaza Strip, imposed after Hamas gained control there in 2007. "[Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's government is the worst or the least fortunate in the history of Israel," Erdogan added.