Istanbul: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan received a hero's welcome on his return to Istanbul on Friday after walking out of a heated debate at the World Economic Forum.
Erdogan stormed out of a debate on Israel's Gaza offensive on Thursday, and vowed he might never return to the annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland.
Israeli President Shimon Peres had launched a fiery defence of his country's offensive in Gaza, and with a raised voice and pointed finger, questioned what Erdogan would do if rockets were fired at Istanbul every night.
"When it comes to killing, you know very well how to kill," Erdogan, visibly angry, responded as he sat next to Peres at the debate.
Turkey played a role in helping broker an end to the Gaza offensive this month, particularly by lobbying the Hamas group to declare a ceasefire.
Thousands of people gathered at Istanbul's Ataturk airport to greet Erdogan when he returned, waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and chanting "Turkey is proud of you".
"Our people would have expected the same reaction from any Turkish prime minister," he told a news conference at Ataturk airport on Friday morning.
"This was a matter of the esteem and prestige of my country. Hence, my reaction had to be clear," he said.
Turkey has harshly criticised Israel over its Gaza offensive, in which Israeli forces killed more than 1,300 Palestinians. Israel lost 10 soldiers and 3 civilians.
Peres said on Friday he hoped relations with Turkey would not be affected by the heated exchange.
"We don't want conflict with Turkey. We are in a conflict with the Palestinians," Peres told reporters in Davos.
