Turkish MPs leave Israeli friendship group in protest

Some 25 Turkish members of parliament have resigned since June from a parliamentary friendship group with Israeli counterparts in protest at Israeli aggressions on Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Lebanon.

Some 17 Turkish MPs are from the Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, one of the most vocal critics of Israeli military actions against civilians of Palestine and Lebanon.

The rest are from the the main opposition Republican People's Party and the Motherland Party.

Turkey protested to occupying regime of Israel for using excessive force on several occasions since its troops stormed Palestinian territories last June and began bombardment of Lebanese civilian infrastructure in the past three weeks