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WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO INSIST ON REDUCING TIES TO ZERO?
by Hasan Cemal
Milliyet
Sept 3 2011
Turkey
>From the beginning, Turkey has been right about the Mavi Marmara and
Gaza issue and it has to continue putting on the pressure. Nonetheless
would it have been wiser to do this in a more cool-headed manner, by
spreading it to a wider timetable or by reducing the relations to zero?
When Israel launched the Mavi Marmara attack in the beginning of June
last year I wrote the following in this column:
"Israel does not surprise. It continues with attacks that ignore the
conscience of humanity and that make the humanity's heart bleed. It
continues to defy peace. It does not give up independent aggressive
policies that add fuel to the flames. It is impossible to interpret
in any other way the massacre conducted by the Israeli commandos in
the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara ship which carried humanitarian aid
to Gaza. Unfortunately this is the painful reality on which the Prime
Minister Netanyahu-Foreign Minister Lieberman understanding is based
in Israel."
I still stand behind these words today.
It is impossible to say that Israel's harsh stand in the
apology-compensation-Gaza blockade triangle has changed in its essence
during the past one year.
As a matter of fact, when announcing yesterday [ 2 September] that the
ties between Turkey and Israel have been reduced to the lowest level
- in other words have been de facto cut off - and that the military
ties between the two countries have been suspended, Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu drew attention to the following points:
"The crime committed by Israel is not a simple one. Attacking civilians
in a boat in an aid convoy and killing unarmed persons by shooting
them repeatedly in the neck constitute a crime of humanity.
It committed a war crime in international water. We held a total of
four rounds of talks at different times and we voiced our demands. Our
demands are known and unless these demands are met our ties with
Israel will not normalize."
>From Ankara's standpoint the last straw that broke the camel's back
was the report of the UN investigation panel that was leaked to the New
York Times yesterday. Referring to this issue, President Abdullah Gul
voiced Ankara's reaction by saying "from our standpoint [the report]
is void."
There is no need to beat around the bush.
By reducing the diplomatic ties between the two countries to zero
the tension between the two countries will seriously rise.
As of now both countries will exert utmost efforts for hurting
each other.
And Israel has long arm where this issue is concerned. Israel has
manoeuvre fields such as damaging Turkey's ties with the United States,
meddling with issues that concern Turkey including the 1915 [Armenian
genocide claims] in the US Congress, and inciting the Kurdish issue
and the PKK and it may hurt Turkey.
There is no doubt that it is impossible to belittle Turkey's power.
Primarily it is right.
In addition to being right in the Mavi Marmara and Gaza blockade
issues, Turkey's "stock exchange value" in the international arena
has risen especially in terms of the US Administration due to issues
such as the Arab Spring, Syria, Libya, and Iran.
Furthermore Turkey is also right in the reaction that it has displayed
thus far.
However it is necessary to add a "but."
To be right is not everything in international relations.
You may be right but you may eventually lose a case or you may
encounter difficulties at the most unexpected time.
Do you want to know what I am trying to say?
Yes, Turkey should continue to put on the pressure in the Mavi Marmara
and Gaza issues, regarding which it is right.
Nonetheless would it have been wiser to do this in a more cool-headed
manner, by spreading it to a wider timetable or by reducing the
relations to zero? Only time will tell what the correct answer is.
Answer to Question from Foreign Ministry
In response to the question that has formed in the corner of my mind a
high-level official from the Foreign Minister said to me the following
yesterday evening:
"We have waited for exactly 15 months. We have held talks with Israel
for nine months. We were extremely constructive. Israel, however,
expected us to forget about the attack. If you do not adopt such a
stand, no one will take notice of you. Maybe, as of now, they will
seriously sit at the table. They have adopted an irrational stand
that cannot be explained logically from the very beginning. We have
constantly given them chances for the normalization of the ties. We
were the victim in this incident. Despite this we were the side that
showed them understanding. Nine months have passed in this manner.
They have requested six more months. We constantly tried to go back to
friendship, but they created hostility. You will arbitrarily attack
a ship in international waters, outside you territorial waters, you
will kill 10 of our citizens, including one cerebral death, everything
that should be done in response will be done, but you, as Israel,
will continue with your intransigence. Under such circumstances,
we have no choice other than saying 'Go to hell'."
These were the words of the high-level official from the Foreign
Ministry.
We hope that Israel will soon come to its senses.
by Hasan Cemal
Milliyet
Sept 3 2011
Turkey
>From the beginning, Turkey has been right about the Mavi Marmara and
Gaza issue and it has to continue putting on the pressure. Nonetheless
would it have been wiser to do this in a more cool-headed manner, by
spreading it to a wider timetable or by reducing the relations to zero?
When Israel launched the Mavi Marmara attack in the beginning of June
last year I wrote the following in this column:
"Israel does not surprise. It continues with attacks that ignore the
conscience of humanity and that make the humanity's heart bleed. It
continues to defy peace. It does not give up independent aggressive
policies that add fuel to the flames. It is impossible to interpret
in any other way the massacre conducted by the Israeli commandos in
the Turkish-flagged Mavi Marmara ship which carried humanitarian aid
to Gaza. Unfortunately this is the painful reality on which the Prime
Minister Netanyahu-Foreign Minister Lieberman understanding is based
in Israel."
I still stand behind these words today.
It is impossible to say that Israel's harsh stand in the
apology-compensation-Gaza blockade triangle has changed in its essence
during the past one year.
As a matter of fact, when announcing yesterday [ 2 September] that the
ties between Turkey and Israel have been reduced to the lowest level
- in other words have been de facto cut off - and that the military
ties between the two countries have been suspended, Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu drew attention to the following points:
"The crime committed by Israel is not a simple one. Attacking civilians
in a boat in an aid convoy and killing unarmed persons by shooting
them repeatedly in the neck constitute a crime of humanity.
It committed a war crime in international water. We held a total of
four rounds of talks at different times and we voiced our demands. Our
demands are known and unless these demands are met our ties with
Israel will not normalize."
>From Ankara's standpoint the last straw that broke the camel's back
was the report of the UN investigation panel that was leaked to the New
York Times yesterday. Referring to this issue, President Abdullah Gul
voiced Ankara's reaction by saying "from our standpoint [the report]
is void."
There is no need to beat around the bush.
By reducing the diplomatic ties between the two countries to zero
the tension between the two countries will seriously rise.
As of now both countries will exert utmost efforts for hurting
each other.
And Israel has long arm where this issue is concerned. Israel has
manoeuvre fields such as damaging Turkey's ties with the United States,
meddling with issues that concern Turkey including the 1915 [Armenian
genocide claims] in the US Congress, and inciting the Kurdish issue
and the PKK and it may hurt Turkey.
There is no doubt that it is impossible to belittle Turkey's power.
Primarily it is right.
In addition to being right in the Mavi Marmara and Gaza blockade
issues, Turkey's "stock exchange value" in the international arena
has risen especially in terms of the US Administration due to issues
such as the Arab Spring, Syria, Libya, and Iran.
Furthermore Turkey is also right in the reaction that it has displayed
thus far.
However it is necessary to add a "but."
To be right is not everything in international relations.
You may be right but you may eventually lose a case or you may
encounter difficulties at the most unexpected time.
Do you want to know what I am trying to say?
Yes, Turkey should continue to put on the pressure in the Mavi Marmara
and Gaza issues, regarding which it is right.
Nonetheless would it have been wiser to do this in a more cool-headed
manner, by spreading it to a wider timetable or by reducing the
relations to zero? Only time will tell what the correct answer is.
Answer to Question from Foreign Ministry
In response to the question that has formed in the corner of my mind a
high-level official from the Foreign Minister said to me the following
yesterday evening:
"We have waited for exactly 15 months. We have held talks with Israel
for nine months. We were extremely constructive. Israel, however,
expected us to forget about the attack. If you do not adopt such a
stand, no one will take notice of you. Maybe, as of now, they will
seriously sit at the table. They have adopted an irrational stand
that cannot be explained logically from the very beginning. We have
constantly given them chances for the normalization of the ties. We
were the victim in this incident. Despite this we were the side that
showed them understanding. Nine months have passed in this manner.
They have requested six more months. We constantly tried to go back to
friendship, but they created hostility. You will arbitrarily attack
a ship in international waters, outside you territorial waters, you
will kill 10 of our citizens, including one cerebral death, everything
that should be done in response will be done, but you, as Israel,
will continue with your intransigence. Under such circumstances,
we have no choice other than saying 'Go to hell'."
These were the words of the high-level official from the Foreign
Ministry.
We hope that Israel will soon come to its senses.