Turkey pounds its chest at Israel

Two news items where Turkey trash talks Israel today:

Turkish President Says Any Cooperation Between Israel And NATO Out Of Question

From Turkish Weekly:

Friday, 3 December 2010

PARIS (A.A) – Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul said that any cooperation between Israel and NATO was out of question.

In an interview with Euronews, Gul said that the missile defense system by NATO was related to only NATO members, stating that Israel was not a member of NATO.

“Any cooperation between Israel and NATO is out of question. Israel cannot use NATO’s means,” he said.

Asked whether or not Turkey still considered Israel a friend and allied country after its raid on Mavi Marmara, Gul said, “Israel’s raid changed many things. Israeli army attacked on an aid flotilla in international waters and killed many people. It is impossible to forget it. A country which is subject to international law and a member of the UN should have fulfilled requirements of the international law. Israel did not compensate it.” President Gul said that Israel lost Turkey’s friendship.

Nine people, including eight Turks and one U.S. citizen of Turkish descent, were killed when Israeli forces raided a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in international waters on May 31. Around 30 people were wounded in the attack. The incident cast a serious blow to Turkey-Israeli relations. Turkey demanded an official apology from Israel, urging it to pay damages for the victims and lift the blockade over Gaza.

Gul expressed his reaction to axis shift discussions regarding Turkey and said, “all these things are wrong. Turkey’s course is clear. Turkey is working to reach the most developed democratic standards and economic standards. The country amends its constitution and laws. Turkey pursues an all-around policy.”

In regard to Turkey’s approach toward Iranian nuclear issue, Gul said that Turkey was sensitive to an issue concerning its neighbor.

Gul said that Turkey had a sound determination regarding its EU accession process.


Friday, 3 December 2010

2. “Turkey and Israel are no longer friends” Euronews:

Turkey is transforming. Ankara is developing economic and diplomatic relations with its neighbours, prompting many in the global community to talk of “axis shift”. Turkish President Abdullah Gül has given a candid interview to euronews mapping out where his country might be heading next.

Euronews: Turkey is developing and extending its relations in the region and this has led a flurry of debate in the West. Where is the country heading? Is Turkey turning away from the West? Is it shifting on its axis?

Gül: There has been a lot of talk about this recently and I am following it all closely. My view is, as I’ve always said, that much of it is wrong. Some of these comments have been made intentionally and others out of ignorance. Turkey’s aim is very clear. We working towards the most advanced democratic and economic standards we can, and to improve standards. We have had to change the Constitution but we have also benefited from geopolitical opportunities; we have historical advantages as well. We are looking at a multi-directional policy.

Euronews: You said some comments were made intentionally. What do you mean by that?

Gül: Before, Turkey’s foreign policy was on the wrong foot. Imagine a country that always has problems with its neighbors. Its trade and economic relations with them are barely operational. This should not be the case. Turkey was like a dead-end street; now it is more of a crossroads. Look at the level of trade between France and Germany, Canada and the US, or any other countries who share a border. They are all doing well but Turkey’s trade with its neighbors was very poor. We were on the wrong axis. Turkey is settling on the right axis now.

Euronews: During the most recent NATO summit, thanks to your insistence, no specific country was mentioned as a target for the new missile shield system. But French President Nicolas Sarkozy said, “call a spade a spade,” clearly referring to Iran. What do you think about that?

Gül: Firstly, looking beyond the actual statement, our decision was made on moral grounds. NATO, as you know, is a defence network. It is not an assault organization and does not target any specific country. This anti-missile system is aimed against any country that has or could develop missile capability. There may be many in the future and so they would also have to be included under the system’s range. That is why our decision was morally driven. A general threat assessment was made. Otherwise, it would be wrong to single out countries one by one. Imagine if the threat originated in another member state?

Euronews: What then do you think about the idea of including countries that are not NATO members, Israel in particular, under this umbrella?

Gül: That is out of the question. It can never happen because this only concerns NATO members. Israel is not a NATO member. It does not even cooperate with NATO. This would be impossible. Lets be clear; I am saying that Israel cannot use NATO facilities.

Euronews: After the Gaza flotilla incident, could Turkey still be described as a friend and an ally of Israel in the Middle East?

Gül: Frankly, many things changed irrevocably after the flotilla incident. The Israeli army attacked a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid while it was in international waters in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and unfortunately several people were killed. It is not possible for us to forget this.

Euronews: Is Israel’s friendship with Turkey over?

Gül: Absolutely. Israel has lost the friendship of Turkey and of Turkish citizens.

Euronews: Mr. President, there seems to have been some differences between Turkey and the West over Iran’s nuclear policy. The emphasis in the West is on concern about capability, while Turkey insists on the value of diplomacy. Is there a fundamental difference in the concept of security between the West and Turkey?

Gül: No. Of course Turkey is likely to be very cautious regarding any issue concerning a neighbour. This is no joke. If there is no diplomacy, the alternative is war. Look what happened in Iraq. Diplomacy failed and that led to war. Who paid the price of that war? The people of Iraq and the country’s neighbours, of course.

Euronews: Let’s talk about the EU. More than half of the negotiation chapters are stymied and support for EU membership in Turkey has plunged from 70 percent to around 30 percent. At this point, do you think EU membership for Turkey is still a realistic aim?

Gül: For us, joining the European Union is a matter of national concern. We are very committed to it. It goes beyond political parties. It is of strategic importance to us.

Moreover, the negotiations started in 2005. Most of the leaders that signed that agreement are still in office, and almost all of them are still alive (!). So they can be held to their promise.

Euronews: If Turkey ends up not joining the EU, is there a Plan B or an alternative project?

Gül: Turkey does not have a plan B. But even we reach the end of our harmonisation process and the Commission says ‘Turkey is ready for membership’, the process will not be over. Some EU members will hold referendums. We don’t know how this will turn out and we also have no idea what the Turkish people will think. Maybe they will act like the Norwegians. But what is we must not do is drag our feet over the negotiations. This would be shortsighted and, there are some who don’t have this kind of strategic vision. They focus more on day-to-day, trivial problems.

Euronews: Turkey has taken important steps towards democratization in recent years, like the recent referendum on the constitution. However, the picture is totally different when it comes to press freedom, which is considered as a fundamental component of a democracy. The situation here is not good. Isn’t this a bit of a discrepancy?

Gül: Of course the freedom of the press is one of the main pillars of a democracy. It makes a country more transparent and acts as a monitor on the government. In that respect, it is a priority for us, and many improvements have been made. Too many journalists have found themselves in court over what they do. This worries me. I have commissioned a government study and, as I understand it, a change in the law is on the cards.

Copyright © 2010 euronews


About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

20 Replies to “Turkey pounds its chest at Israel”

  1. Turkey is quickly regressing into the fog of islamic theocracy, where hateful rhetoric becomes truth, where the ability to see both sides of an issue atrophies into robot-like rhetoric. Their inability to discern the difference between a true peace demonstration and a deliberate provocation of a legal military blockade proves the muddled state of thinking in the mind of the Turkish idealogues.

    Turkey’s belligerent occupation of northern Cyprus, their inability to face the truth as regards the Armenian genocide, and recent reversion to extremist islamist attitudes prove to the West that they are not credible candidates for joining the EU. Any nation cozying up to schizophrenic Iran cannot be trusted.

    When the leaders of Turkey demonstrate the ability to engage in positive discourse, when Istanbul regains its rightful name Constantinople, when they give up their extremist islamic rhetoric, only then will they be seen to have joined the civilized world.

    In the meantime, avoid anything Turkish. It’s looking more and more like Iran all the time.

  2. Vlad, I understand Erdogin. I understand the moslems. To me they are almost normal.

    To the victors, the war booty. Take, rape and abuse. Ignore all feelings of shame and remorse.

    Moslem theology: Life iswar and war is life.

    He has arrived at the conclusion ( incorrect conclusion) that the election of Barak Hassan Obama is a statement. The West is weak, old, exhausted and broke and has already abandoned their principles. The ywill abandon Israel, India and Taiwan.

    The moslem world is not.Therefore we will win.

    Moslems are the alien monster in Alien. Take, kill and do not be ashamed. You are here to master all as would Mohammed.

    For this reason, the Turks still control Cyprus and are not ashmae to accuse Israel of occupying Judea.

    Westernized Jews are different.They are ashamed of Israel’s power and to show the world how sensitive they are, vote for Democrats. The muslims vote for Democrats and the NDP ( party founded by Jews that is now tacitly anti-semetic) because these parties are full of weak white people who will be the first to surrender to muslims.

    Any Questions?

  3. I am Jewish and I don’t vote for DemoRAT pussies. I didn’t vote for Obama. I am NOT ashamed of Israel’s power. I wish they would use it more. Am Y’Israel Chai. I love what an Austrian MP said about a Turkish Ambassador. Spectacular! The Turks should never have been trusted…they still won’t admit Armenian genocide.

  4. The purpose of NATO was to stop the USSR from conquering all of Europe, we needed Turkey back then, we don’t need them now. This is a fact they refuse to accept and one they need to be taught.

  5. It’s funny, but despite the killing and the destruction and the pain, and all of the numerous good reasons there are for hating Islamists, the thing that disgusts me most is the lying. I’m not sure why, but the idea of human being looking you right in the eye and lying, the way these Turks are, when they know damn well that you know, that they know, that you know they are lying, fills me with feelings of hopelessness, anger, and hatred. Maybe it’s the fact that they seem to think it’s OK, that it’s not wrong, that they’re “allowed” to do it. What common ground can I have with a person who thinks lying is the right thing to do, who doesn’t see me as being worthy of the truth? I’ve seen the evidence: the flotilla was not on a humanitarian mission, and everybody knows that, but the Turks keep saying that it was. Are they trying to tell me that I am stupid, or are they suggesting that I am so afraid of them that I’ll pretend to believe whatever they say because I’m their bitch? These people give the human race a bad name and civilized people should stay as far away from them as possible. Don’t ever doubt that, given the chance, they would do unto us as they did unto the Armenians, and then they would spend the next century saying it never happened. They’re bad news. Don’t ever trust them until they convert away from that religion.

  6. It would be nice if the Turks and Arabs would change, they won’t because their religion says they don’t have to. It may be a pipe dream but I remember that all of Turkey use to be Greek and was peopled by Greeks, in fact the last of the Greeks weren’t driven out until the 1920s. It would be nice if the Turks (which originated somewhere around Afghanistan) were driven out of Turkey and the area given back to the Greeks.

  7. Israel was within its international rights to impose a maritime blockade on Gaza. It has been clearly shown that plans had been made on the Turkish “relief” ship to use violent means to resist boarding. The planners of that expedition bear the responsibility for the loss of life. It is interesting how Turkey avoids criticizing Hamas for its arms smuggling, the rocketing of Israel and civilian areas, the unlawful kidnapping of an Israeli soldier four years ago, the corruption of Hamas and the incitement to genocide that is the constant refrain of Hamas and Iran; a direct violation of the 1948 UN Declaration against Genocide. Turkey avoids its military actions against its own Kurdish population. Clearly, the interests of Turkey and Nato do not correspond. Turkey has essentially allied itself with Iran and is providing cover for it allow Iran time to develop nuclear weapons. Turkey must also come to grips with its genocidal past and finally accept responsibility instead of constant denial and the hiring of American lobbyists and academics to run cover for it.

  8. I think Turkey has confused Israelis with Greeks. Better stick with threatening the people whose name has been associated with being Greeked or Israel just might decide to Greek you.

  9. Turkey is reverting to an Islamic state, and some of the Turks are remembering when they were the controlling area of the Caliphate.

  10. If Turkey is reverting back to its Islamic past under a Sultan-Caliph it should review its history very carefully as most of its leaders were corrupt and incompetent. If Erdogan is sheltering funds abroad or has secret domiciles he is following a time honored policy of dishonesty, hypocrisy and selfish self-interest. Turkey is also making a mistake in thinking that Iran, under its present regime, could ever be a trustworthy ally. Iran is seeking its own sphere of influence and would undoubtedly want Turkey under its sway as its controls Lebanon through its Hamas and Syrian proxies.

  11. Dennis you just described the Arabic/Moslem culture, the entire world is facing the problem of how to handle the Jihad, and are now failing to find a way because they are refusing to accept the idea that the Moslems are a corrupt group and are corrupting the world. The fact that the Moslems are so corrupt and willing to back stab each other means we are actually in better shape then most people think. Of course the left back stabs each other all the time.

  12. Unfortunately, corruptness is a universal phenomenon. The United Nations (spelled League of Nations) passed the Convention Against Genocide in 1948 which, despite continuing genocide, has never been invoked. The calls of Iran, Hamas and others for the annihilation of Israel and Jews is a direct violation of the Convention but yet, no government speaks out. Turkey continues the process of genocide by denying the responsibility of the Ottoman Empire for the death of 1.5 million people. While more Turks are admitting the historical reality the official government line and that of its fellow travelers is the “so-called genocide.” The Arab Governments have used the Palestinian people for its own political interest. An independent Palestinian state could have been established between 1948-1967 but it was in the interest of the regimes to keep the Palestinians in crowded, inhumane refugee camps. People forget that more Jews left Muslim countries than did Muslims from the territory that became the State of Israel. These forced emigres relocated to Israel or other locations. The Arab countries did not want the Palestinians. Of course, the world is also keeping a blind eye to the persecution of Christians within the Muslim world as well. We are sinking deeper and deeper into a morass of political correctness in the West that blinds us to the threats that loom over the horizon. Hopefully, our leadership and the public will have a catharsis but I remain doubtful.

  13. Dennis keep look there are signs that we are going to remain free of Islam, the war has just started, and it isn’t anywhere near the end of the beginning, not the end of the war, but the end of the beginning of the war. Yes I think we are in the opening decades of a Dark Age, but that doesn’t mean freedom won’t survive, or that scientific progress won’t continue.

    PS: The League of Nations disbanded shortly before WWII (I don’t remember the year) in 1948 at Lake Geneva, New York the United Nations was formed, and the Convention against Genocide was created.

    As to the blind eye to the persecution of the Christians the left dominates most of the news media around the world and the left wants to destroy Christianity. More people are learning what is going on and will start working to stop the Moslems. The Chinese Christians are saying that they think it is their job to destroy Islam.

  14. Dennis, the Moslems raise corruption to an art form, the only government that I have heard about that was anywhere neat them in corruption was the Chinese Imperial court in the later decades of the Chinese Empire. Hell even the communist in Russia weren’t as corrupt as the Moslem governments.

  15. The League of Nations is as effectual as the current United Nations. Just look at the composition of the UN Committee on Human Rights. If you want to read about ) corruption in the West study the history of the Versailles Peace Conference of 1919 in which the UK and the French secretly divided the Middle East between themselves or how the Big Four (US, UK, France and Italy blocked the adoption of a clause in the Treaty that declared that all races were equal. Such a refusal led to the rise of the Communist Party in China. The assessment of complete blame for the First World War on Germany, despite the fact that many nations bore such responsibility, plus an extremely vindictive “peace” treaty set the stage for the rise of Hitlerism. Today the UN has a blind eye to weapons smuggling into Lebanon and Gaza as well as the ongoing genocide in the Congo. The UN like its League predecessor lacks the power to act, being dependent on other nations for funding and military force. The West lacks the political will to act and would rather sell weapons to potential belligerents. Look at all the arms deals going on between Pakistan and China and between Russia and France with India and Russia with Iran. The world is once again in the midst of an out of control arms race (as it was before the Great War) but the major purchasers are nations or groups that are third world and cannot provide for their own people. The West keeps pouring millions into the coffers of Fatah and Hamas but there is no accountability. Certainly, the majority of the Palestinians are not better off economically, technologically or socially. Arafat embezzled hundreds of millions of dollars but it always Israel that was blamed for the poor conditions of the refugee camps; an idea promoted by the leftist media. I am not as optimistic as you especially when the UK allows the establishment of Sharia courts to be used as an alternative to British civil courts. Again, political correctness out of control.

  16. I am optimistic that in the long run the West will win the war, but in the short run all Western nations are going to be hurt by internal fighting with our home grown leftist siding with the Moslems. The Moslems moved too fast (as has the left in the US) and is finding opposition, also the economic crisis has caused a lot of people to rethink their stand on the Marxist ideas that have prevailed for so long. The Local is saying that the wealthy and middle class in
    Germany is turning away from open borders and are calling for a halt of Islamic immigration into Germany. http://www.thelocal.de/money/20101203-31581.html these are the people who will turn the tide in stopping the Moslem conquest. The economic crisis is helping because the locals are upset over a bunch of foreigners taking jobs away from them, this in turn effects the Middle and Upper classes. Things won’t happen over night but they are starting to move in the right direction, just remember this war is going to be long and bloody and the various sections of it will make up most of this century. There will be breaks between the rounds of fighting so everyone can catch their breath but the rounds will all be one war, just as Iraq and Afghanistan are the same war, different fronts but the same war.

  17. Turkey cannot get over themselves or their horrid history. They still insist that their breaking of the Gaza Blockade was justified, and don’t understand that the death of their 9 attackers on the boat was self-defense.
    Their arrogance and ignorance Turkey continues to have a 19 year blockade with Christian Armenia and mistreats their Kurdish population. The country of Turkey has hurt many countries, and somehow cannot get over their image of lying, cheating and blood thirsty.

  18. Turkey is acting like the Koran tells them too, one rule for them and different rules of others, welcome to the world the Islamists want us to live in.

  19. Such double standards is standard operating procedure for many “elites” especially politicians of both parties. The secret deals, exemptions from their own laws, the freebies and all of the perks. Rangall heads the committee in the House righting tax laws but cheats on his taxes and only has to suffer the indignity of a House condemnation. The average American would end up in jail. The Secretary of the Treasury somehow forgets to pay his taxes and essentially gets a free ride. As for religion each group and sub-group has its own vision of God which it believes to be superior to the views of others. How many through history were given the choice to convert to Christianity (a particular sect of Christianity) or face torture, death or expulsion. Jewish history is marked by a multiplicity of such events. During the spread of Islam similar actions were taken but if you agreed to accept an inferior or dhimmi position in Muslim society you would be allowed a certain degree of autonomy in restricted areas. The danger today is that the extremists in the Islamic world do not accept that other religions can co-exist with their view of the Koran and this is an ideology the left does not seem to comprehend. The radical left in Hollywood would be among the first to suffer under the imposition of Sharia law. Their “moral” or amoral behaviors would not be tolerated in an Islamic society. Perhaps we are facing an age in which the Crusades are reborn except from the opposite direction and with more potent and deadly weaponry. How do you deal with a society in which suicide-homicidal bombers are exalted and promised rewards in heaven? With falling birth rates and declining economies and socialist mentalities the West may not have the fortitude to carry out a long-term and potentially costly struggle against such forces. I am not very optimistic as Muslim spawned anti-Semitism rears its ugly head in Europe and the U.S. on college campuses and elsewhere and seems to be tolerated by the powers that be who offer only empty rhetoric. The UN is worthless in this regard and is part of the problem.

  20. Dennis, first you have to pervert the Christian message to be able torture and force conversion, yes it happened but it wasn’t the norm even then. In Islam that is the orders of their Prophet. Second it is only the Democrats that don’t have to pay for their crime, the left screams so loud the Republicans do have to go to jail.

    As far as the Moslems taking over, that is possible but I doubt if it will happen. The people in the West are waking up, slowly but waking up, once the Europeans and those of European descent have always managed to win the wars they fight. Yes we are in danger and yes a lot of people are going to get hurt and die but in the end we will remain free. OK maybe I am counting too much on history but that is the only guide we have, and as I keep saying on many blogs we can’t win if we don’t fight. You win wars by destroying your enemies will to resist, you are ready to give up when the war hasn’t really begun. If you and others like you don’t man up we will lose because you will convince people we have no choice but to surrender. If the people in history had acted like you are we would never have won the revolution, or the war of 1812, or the Mexican war, or the civil war, or the Spanish American war, or WWI or WWII or the cold war (Korea and Nam were really just campaigns in the Cold War), or Gulf War I. There has never been a war or a battle where the losers didn’t have enough men and equipment to win the war or battle. What lost them the war was they lost he will to fight the war, learn to fight. And take a good look at the motto of New Hampshire, Live Free or Die.