Talking Turkey

We Jews have a tendency to react like "chicken little" to media events, running around randomly and shouting "the sky is falling, the sky is falling." Actually, any perceptive person who views the whole Gaza flotilla incident in context can see that it was pre-planned in order to discredit Israel and bring it into further disrepute. What were PM Erdogan and the leaders of Syria, Pres Assad, and of Iran, Pres. Ahmedinejad, discussing during their recent long visits together? It must be admitted that Turkey, under the Justice and Development (AK) Party of PM Erdogan, has gone in a decidedly Islamist anti-Western direction, they are not allies of the so-called "moderate" pro-American Islamic States, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, but rather of the rejectionist anti-American ones, Syria and Iran.

For some time, Israel has been willing to give Turkey the benefit of the doubt, but not any more. This Gaza flotilla was organized and supported by the Turkish Government and the majority of the "passengers" on board the Turkish ship Marmara were Turks. Some of them belonged to Islamist organizations and had clearly violent intentions, under the guise of being a "peace" convoy. When they attacked the Israeli commandos this was what they had prepared for. In many countries many more of them would have been shot. The fact that they were treated in a civilized manner in Israel and then immediately deported back to Turkey will give no kudos to Israel.

The two claims that the UN Human Rights Commission want to investigate with another "Goldstone Report" that will criticize Israel even before it is written, is that the taking over of the ships in international waters was illegal and that international humanitarian law was broken in the killing of 9 passengers. These are demonstrably false. International law recognizes the right of a belligerant in a war situation to institute a blockade and to board and take-over ships and bring them to its own port for checking. There are numerous instances of this in world history (US-Cuba, UK-Falklands, etc.). International humanitarian law does not prevent the forces occupying a ship from using violence with whatever means is necessary. For example, forces of the US and several European countries have boarded merchant ships that have been taken by pirates in international waters near East Africa, and they have shot and killed some of the pirates. I am confident that Israel will carry out a transparent and honest investigation of what actually happened on board the Marmara. However, we all know that this is not the point, which is that the enemies of Israel will use this as an excuse to pillory israel once again in the court of international public opinion. I wonder what left-wing opportunist Jewish judge they will use as a front this time?

Three predictions can be made: 1. Those who have soft-pedalled blaming Turkey for the genocide of the Armenians in WWI will no longer be restrained. 2. Turkey will never be accepted into the EU if it continues in this Islamist direction. 3. There will be serious upheavals in Turkey as the Islamic-leaning Government tries to undo Turkish secular policy based on the foundation of Kemal Attaturk. Since the army is avowedly secular and the Government is now pro-Islamic there is likely to be serious trouble ahead for Turkey. There is no doubt that the Erdogan Government is using this premeditated ambush of Israel to bolster its popularity in Turkey at the expense of the secular forces.