Gul receives Jewish community leader

President Abdullah Gul yesterday received Silvyo Ovadya, a leader of Turkey's Jewish community, at the Cankaya Presidential Palace in Ankara to learn firsthand about the community's problems and expectations. Gul reportedly assured Ovadya that Jews living in Turkey are equal citizens of the country, stressing the state's firm determination to oppose all forms of discrimination and to protect their rights and freedoms. Tension between Turkey and Israel due to the Gaza war and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's walkout from a meeting in Davos late last month after heated words with Israeli President Shimon Peres had caused concern in the community of rising anti-Semitism in Turkey. During the meeting, Gul reportedly acknowledged the possibility of isolated extreme reactions but said the government is on the alert for such problems, also expressing hope that such incidents would recede as the situation in Gaza improves.