ISTANBUL – Daily News with wires
AP photo
The state-run Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, or TRT, has removed scenes of Israeli violence against Palestinians from the TV series “Ayr?l?k,” which caused a diplomatic row with Israel, the producer was quoted as saying Thursday, reported Agence France-Presse.
A scene showing Israeli soldiers shooting a row of blindfolded Palestinians was cut from the second episode, broadcast on Tuesday, Selçuk Çobano?lu told Milliyet daily. “Each broadcaster has its own regulations of supervision. … We don’t have objections to this situation,” he said.
Çobano?lu rejected accusations that the series incited hatred against Israel, insisting that the main theme was about love, which “will become more obvious in the upcoming episodes,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hürriyet daily reported on Thursday that “Ayr?l?k” also caused tension to rise between Turkey and Iran.
TRT failed to pay the balance due for the hotel bill in Tabriz, Iran, where some of the scenes were shot. The Iranian foreign ministry stepped in and gave Turkey a diplomatic note.
Nam?k Güler Erpul, deputy general director of the Foreign Ministry’s bilateral cultural relations department, sent an official letter to TRT on May 8 asking for the sum to be paid for Turkey’s dignity. The amount was paid on May 11.