Israeli-Turkish singer Linet Menaşi caused uproar on Monday after telling a Turkish audience at a performance in an Istanbul suburb that she had fled Israel to avoid IDF service and was still considered AWOL.
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Her remarks were picked up by Turkish media outlets supportive of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"I was born in Israel and started to sing when I was five," Menaşi told the crowd. "When I finished school they demanded that I enlist in the army. I moved to Turkey. I'm still considered AWOL in Isarel."
However, according to her Wikipedia page, she did serve in the IDF for three months.
Menaşi added that she was Turkish and intended to "live and die in Turkey." According to reports in local news outlets, the audience responded with cheers.
The singer continued: "I'm the daughter of a classic Turkish musical artist. I proudly carry the Turkish flag wherever I go."
Menaşi, 46, is the daughter of Turkish singer Leyla Özgecan (also known as Leya Bonana) who made aliyah in 1973. In 1993, she and her mother took part in the preliminary Eurovision completion round and reached 10th place. In 1999, she spent a short time in Israel after he home in Istanbul was destroyed by an earthquake.
Her remarks Monday caused some surprise, because she has visited Israel several time, and performed in her home country. In 2020, she even covered Margol's song "Walls of Clay" in Arabic and Turkish.
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