TEL AVIV, June 20: Israeli officials lashed out on Thursday at CNN founder Ted Turner and threatened reprisals against the global all-news network for his remarks accusing Israel of practising state terrorism.

The Israelis took one immediate step, announcing that a popular satellite television channel here would allot a slot to Fox TV of the United States, CNN’s main competitor in the 24-hour news sweepstakes.

The reaction was part of a worldwide effort by Israel and its supporters to counter what they consider biased coverage by some western news outlets of its nearly 21-month-old conflict with the Palestinians.

Turner, who is vice chairman of CNN’s parent company AOL Time Warner, ran afoul of the Israelis with comments to a London newspaper this week accusing both sides here of being “involved in terrorism.”

“If Mr. Turner had said that in Israel, I would have made a move to have him declared a persona non grata here,” Communications Minister Reuven Rivlin told Israeli public radio Thursday.

Rivlin, a member of the conservative Likud Party, said the YES satellite television channel found in many Israeli homes would open a slot to Fox TV so it could compete with CNN for local viewers.

Parliamentary deputy Avraham Hirschson, another Likud member, called for a national boycott of CNN, which he said displayed “a systematically hostile attitude which sympathised with terrorist organisations.

Turner has expressed regret over his remarks and refused further comment, while CNN issued a statement on Wednesday distancing itself from its founder.

“Ted Turner has no operational or editorial oversight of CNN. Mr. Turner’s comments are his own and definitely do not reflect the views of CNN in any way,” the network said.

In Tuesday’s interview with the Guardian newspaper, Turner said the Palestinians were fighting with human suicide bombers against Israel’s military machine, which was one of the most powerful in the world.

“The Palestinians have nothing. So who are the terrorists? I would make a case that both sides are involved in terrorism,” he said.—AFP