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Turkey: How a Normal, Healthy Government Behaves
Relations between Israel and Turkey have become increasingly strained ever since Israel attacked the Mavi Marmara last year, shot and killed 9 people aboard (8 Turkish citizens and 1 American teenager), and then steadfastly refused to apologize. That's because normal, healthy governments get angry when foreign armies shoot and kill their unarmed citizens for no good reason:
In this May 31, 2010 file photo the Mavi Marmara ship, the lead boat of a flotilla headed to the Gaza Strip which was stormed by Israeli naval commandos in a predawn confrontation, sails into the port of Ashdod, Israel. (AP)
Once a close ally of Israel, Turkey accelerated its growing stature across the Arab world -- and further upended the regional order -- when it downgraded diplomatic relations with Israel and expelled its ambassador early this month after Israel refused to issue an apology for a deadly commando raid last year aboard an aid ship trying to break the embargo of the Gaza Strip. . . .
[Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdogan seemed to present himself as a spokesman for the backlash against Israel unleashed by the revolts across the region.
"Israel is the West’s spoiled child," he said, "to this day it has never executed a decision by the international community."
Asked about Turkey’s downgrade of diplomatic relations with Israel, he vowed that his nation would not back down until Israel apologized for its forces killing eight Turkish citizens and an American of Turkish decent aboard an aid flotilla seized in international waters on its way to the blockaded Gaza Strip. "Israel cannot play with our dignity," he said.
That reaction stands in very stark contrast to the response to that Israeli attack from the Obama administration, which not only isolated itself from the rest of the world to defend Israel (as usual), but actually took this repellent position even in the face of the Israelis' killing of 19-year-old American Furkan Dogan (click image to enlarge):
Watching the U.S. Government refuse even to pretend to care that Israel killed one of its unarmed citizens was one of the most glaring episodes yet demonstrating how defending Israel is prioritized by the U.S. above even a defense of its own citizens. Prime Minister Erdogan himself noted that bizarre behavior:
He faulted the United States, as well, for failing to demand a similar apology for the killing of its citizen in the commando raid. "One of the victims was an American from Turkish origin, but America did not protect the right of its citizen after that," he said.
A far bigger test still of the U.S. Government's willingness to prioritize its own citizens' interests above Israel's will come with the expected U.N. vote this month on whether to recognize Palestinian statehood. Most of the world is expected to vote in favor and its passage is virtually guaranteed, unless the U.S. vetoes it. Long-time U.S. ally, Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal, this weekend credibly detailed the multiple, serious harms to U.S. interests if it exercises its veto. But if past is prologue, those interests will pale in the face of the political imperative of supporting this foreign government.
* * * * *
For several months, praising the Arab Spring was mandated in American political circles even though it's long been obvious that the U.S. vehemently opposes democracy in that region -- and has long craved compliant dictators -- as the best means for suppressing popular opinion that is highly critical of the U.S. and Israel. Now that it is clear that more democratic responsiveness in the Muslim world means less subservience to the U.S. and Israel, the nation's most neoconservative media organs -- which ironically pretended for years to favor the spread of democracy -- are now confessing their concerns about it. The Washington Post Editors today lament that the Arab Spring is resulting in greater criticism of Israel, while their columnist Richard Cohen openly longs for the days of Mubarak, the Shah of Iran and a less democratic (though more "Westernized") Turkey. "Spreading democracy" is but the pretext for the wars they crave in that region; the last thing they want is for public opinion to have any relevance at all.
Read more at Salon.com
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Show AllI see no "backlash" against Israel across the region. On the contrary, I see the most anti-semitic leaders (Gaddafi, Assad, etc.) being attacked and thrown out of power. Turkey is clearly on the wrong side of history, not to mention the wrong side of international law, and has made a huge mistake. There is a growing, global reaction against anti-semitism, which is unmistakable. There is simply no support for it. Those on the American left who continually attack Jews and demand their elimination are a lunatic fringe with no popular support. It's only a matter of time before they face prosecution for hate crimes. No question about it.
Turkey is not on the wrong side of history. It is not ok to attack ships in "INTERNATIONAL" waters!
It's called "PIRACY"
Please explain how the Turkish aid boat was in any way involved in "PIRACY". Even Israel hasn't made that claim. I think it could be more appropriately used to describe what Israel is doing in the settlements.
Yep, people across the planet are pissed about the anti-semitism of the USA, UK, France, and Israel. As Semites, Arabs are far more populous that Jews; and it must be noted that the only claim today's Jews have to being Semetic peoples is because of their language--Hebrew--not because they are ethnicly Semetic; most are European. Indeed, the Zionists murder Semetic peoples daily, just as the Nazis did. But the real winner in the anti-semetism sweepstakes is the USA, with several million killed, millions more wounded and displaced while poisoning an entire country in genocidal fashion. And with his lies, we can clearly see that mikep is also a virulent anti-semite.
There is nothing 'anti-semitic' about what Turkey is doing in regards to Israel. They have, in fact, shown incredible patience, calm, and reserve concerning the incident. They investigated carefully, and when the evidence pointed to Israel (IDF) as the perpetrators of a crime, they have moved forward carefully and responsibly to seek justice for their citizens and to protect them in the future.
Mikep: He's baaaack. Oh, no!
mike,
this is about the dumbest thing i've ever heard. Saying that "those on the left who continually attack Jews and demand their elimination" will "face prosecution for hate crimes" is a ridiculous threat.
No one is demanding the elimination of Jews. People are demanding justice. And there is not a growing, global reaction against anti-semitism. There is a growing, global reaction opposing Israel and it's racist - indeed, terrorist - policies.
I personally have never met anyone on the American left who continually attacks Jews and demands their elimination. I guess there could be American leftist Nazis and American leftist Ku Klux Klanners, which is what it sounds like, but I suspect they're few and far between. And if there are any, they probably don't get much popular support...and certainly not mine. If they exist, that is, and are not just the rabid product of a rancid hasbarist mind, or the flapping of a putrid hasbarist tongue...which is always a possibility, and one we shouldn't overlook.
"Those on the American left who continually attack Jews and demand their elimination are a lunatic fringe with no popular support."
You wish. The facts are that the world is awakening to the aparteid being promulgated in Israel/Palestine/Gaza, ostensibly by those that should know better. I say ostensibly because you and your ilk are trying to accuse those of us that oppose Zionism to be the equivalent of anti-Semites. In attacking Zionism, we are not attacking Jews. If your faction were honest, they would have to acknowledge the first and most troublesome (to your viewpoint) opponents of Zionism are those factions of Judaism that do not support the nation-state of Israel that was established politically through the intervention of humans in 1948. I'll risk persecution in speaking up for all those who are suffering crimes against humanity instigated and carried out by the renegade nation-state of Israel. Many who take my stance point out that in committing these atrocities against the Palestinians, a Semitic people trapped in Gaza, secular Ashkenazi Zionists are in fact the worst anti-Semites around. " No question about it."
Thomas Jefferson stated that he did not care one whit what a person thought or believed as long as he neither picked his pocket nor broke his leg. Amen. I support those who oppose Israel because it is an anti-democratic, racist, war-mongering, belligerent, neo-colonial abberation many miles on the wrong side of history. It is a threat to peace, progress, justice, and reason. It survives only because of the corruption and dishonesty of the American government. I am confident that the eventual global reaction you speak of will sort it all out.
America did nothing when Rachel Corrie was murdered by an Israeli driven bulldozer.
America did nothing when Rachel Corrie was brutally crushed by an Israeli bulldozer, or Fulkan Dogan was brutally executed by Israeli commandos, or Tristan Anderson was severely brain damaged by by the IDF, or Emily Henochowicz had her eye put out, similarly by an IDF hero shooting a tear-gas grenade at her head, or when the IDF murdered 34 crewmen and severely injured 170 others in an unprovoked attack against the USS liberty, or when Americans sailing to Gaza were kidnapped in international waters and forcibly taken to Israel and brutalized and robbed and coerced to sign "confessions" they couldn't read and "deported" from a country they didn't want to be in. The rights and privileges of American citizenship are not extended to those who do not give the proper obeisance to the Jewish State.
Michael F --
An excellent factually based criticism of the arrogant, racist, and reactionary regime that currently governs Israel.
America also did nothing when US citizens were murdered by army death squads in El Salvador in the 1980s, and nothing was done when citizens were murdered by the Chilean coup junta in the 1970s (see the movie "Missing").
Other examples for other countries: Australia knew that the Indonesian army killed seven journalists in East Timor in the early 1970s and said nothing (that they knew all along the Indonesian military was responsible was only revealed a few years ago). Several Canadians, including military personnel serving in a United Nations bunker, were killed by Israeli warplanes during the attack on Lebanon a few years ago. The Canadian government not only refused to protest, but the PM stated that the Israeli's Lebanese adventure was a "measured response".
In all of these cases, foreign policy concerns, even when supporting illegal and/or provocative activity by the favored group, outweighed the state's requirement to protect its citizens.
"Spreading democracy" is but the pretext for the wars they crave in that region; the last thing they want is for public opinion to have any relevance at all."
Look at Hamas....Elected by a majority, but stopped from governing.
You know a country's leadership is pretty far gone when they can't even apologize (a simple sorry) for killing, even if unintentionally by their own arguments, the citizens of another. It's this kind of arrogance that is Israel's worst enemy.
Well said!
Thanks again to Glenn Greenwald -- one of the most intelligent and fair-minded analysts illuminating the fetid swamps of neo-imperial Washington, DC.
TURKEY IS RIGHT
For an in-depth analysis see (Prof) Lawrence Davidson in:
"Turkey is Right---an Analysis"
at www.tothepointanalyses.com
This Government of ours has always been in Israels pocket..One only need look into the murderous attack on the US Ship "Liberty"...Our Fighter Jets were told to "Stand Down" while this carnage and slaughter of our sailors took place...
JFK did everything in his power to keep Israel from acquiring Nuclear Weapons, then, A few short years after his CIA/Big Oil/Bankster planned murder, they announced themselves as A Nuclear power...
The Jewish Banksters still control this world and our Plastic Spineless Congressmen are scared shitless of the Israeli Lobby in Washington..
The Rothchild Dynasty/Empire financed the State of Israel...It amazes me how well they have hidden in the shadows of their New World Order Agenda...
I truly believe that most Jewish people of this world are not at all aligned with the Israeli Government...The Jewish Citizens there are even protesting their Government..I just wish that they would protest the treatment of the palestinians!!!
Another fine piece from Glenn Greenwald...We are so lucky to have this man speaking truth to power..And Turkey deserves to be to be praised for it's Bravado...
The writer states: "normal, healthy governments get angry when foreign armies shoot and kill their unarmed citizens for no good reason".
Come on CD readers, does the illegal occupation of 1/3 of Cyprus constitute the practices of a "normal, healthy government" ?? The illegality of dissenting opinions, gatherings, languages... such as the reality that Armenians and Kurds live inTurkey.
And now into the frying pan: The UN investigation of the Marmara shootings could not conclude that the Israelis came down the ropes shooting, as is probably the opinion of 90% of CD readers.
The U.N. inquiry panel, chaired by former New Zealand prime minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer, accepted the Israeli view that IHH, the Turkish group participating in the flotilla, had prepared to attack Israeli soldiers and that its members cannot be considered uninvolved civilians. The U.N. panel also endorsed Israel’s main legal claim that Gaza was involved in an armed conflict with Israel and therefore the blockade imposed on it was legal and did not cause a humanitarian crisis.
The panel also concluded that Israeli army committed gross violations in the level of violence by which it responded, resulting in the deaths of 9 people.
That is the view of the UN.
Erdogan knew very well how the Flotilla incident would play out. He showed no regard for the blockade that Israel was trying to enforce to protect it's people from improving rockets that Hamas was getting hold of. In an attempt to distance itself from Israel and gain more support in the Arab world, Erdogan engineered this flotilla fiasco and essentially got those 9 killed.
This was just Turkey's way of blaming Israel as it was Hezbollah's way in 2006 for the cross-boarder attack (which sparked a war) on the IDF soldiers which eventually led to the trade of 2 IDF corpses in exchange for Lebanese nationals convicted of murder. In both cases, it was deemed Israel's fault by the Arab world and most likely everyone on this blog.
I find the description of Turkey as a " normal , healthy government " highly ironic. I come from an island ( Cyprus ) that was invaded by Turkey in 1974 on the pretext of restoring the peace on the island . They said they would be on the island for a couple of days ... they are still occupying the northern part of Cyprus . If there is a country that is blatantly violating human rights while pretending to be sane and just to the outside world , that country is Turkey. This is also a government that refuses to accept responsibility for the Armenian genocide ( for which they were guilty as charged ) and who are killing off the Curds within their own borders . So when Erdogan says "Israel is the West’s spoiled child," ... "to this day it has never executed a decision by the international community " he might as well be talking of Turkey because they are guilty of the same thing. Do not be fooled into thinking that Turkey is now in opposition to Israel because of human rights violations. Turkey is interested in establishing its supremacy in the region ... it wants to be the big Daddy of the Arab world. Turkey's plans are not peace plans ( in fact it's threatening with war as I write these words ) . So do not accept what Turkey says without questioning ...