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REPORT: ISRAEL MAY OFFER MILITARY AID TO PKK TO PUNISH TURKEY
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Sept 9 2011
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman reportedly plans meetings
with PKK leaders in Europe to discuss cooperation with terrorist
group in every possible way.
Israel's hawkish foreign minister is planning a series of measures
to retaliate against Turkey in an apology row, including military
aid to the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a news report
said on Friday.
Other planned measures are cooperation with the Armenian lobby in
the US in its efforts to win recognition for Armenian claims that
1.5 million Armenians were victims of a genocide campaign in the late
Ottoman Empire during the First World War years and to issue a travel
warning urging all Israeli military veterans to refrain from traveling
to Turkey, according to the report in Yedioth Ahranoth. The travel
advisory will also urge Israelis to refrain from boarding connections
in Turkey, the report said.
The planned measures apparently came out of a meeting attended by
senior Israeli Foreign Ministry officials on Thursday, which the
report said was held in preparation for a meeting on Saturday that
will be attended by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, a harsh critic
of efforts to restore relations with Turkey after Ankara announced
a set of sanctions against Israel for its refusal to apologize for
the killing of eight Turks and one Turkish American on an aid ship
trying to break the blockade of Gaza on May 31, 2010.
Accordingly, Lieberman insists that the Israeli efforts should focus
on ways to respond to Turkey's sanctions, not formulating an apology
for the 2010 incident, because what Turkey is interested is not an
apology but exploiting the dispute with Israel so as to boost its
regional standing.
Saturday's meeting will reportedly focus on those ways to respond
to Turkey.
The Turkish government announced last Friday that it downgrades
diplomatic relations with Israel and suspends military agreements. It
also promised to take measures to ensure freedom of navigation in the
eastern Mediterranean, where the 2010 incident took place, without
elaborating. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared
on Thursday that Turkish warships would escort future convoys to the
Gaza Strip to prevent a repeat of the deadly Israeli raid last year.
Yedioth Ahranoth said Lieberman plans meetings with PKK leaders in
Europe in order to find ways to cooperate with them "in every possible
area."In these meetings, the PKK leaders may ask Israel for military
aid in the form of training and arms supplies, the report said.
Lieberman is also planning active Israeli participation in efforts
worldwide to report Turkey's "violations of human rights" in treatment
of minorities in Turkey.
"We'll exact a price from Erdogan that will prove to him that messing
with Israel doesn't pay off. Turkey better treat us with respect and
common decency," Lieberman was quoted as saying.
Whether Lieberman's threats could ever be implemented remains
questionable. Turkey's demand for an apology has divided the Israeli
government, with hawks such as Lieberman strictly opposing it while
others insisting that a way must be found to restore ties because
Turkey is an ally of critical importance for Israel.
On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel and Turkey
will eventually mend fences rather than become foes, dismissing their
apology dispute as "spilled milk."
Speaking on Friday, another Israeli official said Erdogan's threat
of sending warships to eastern Mediterranean was "grave and serious"
but refused to go into a war of words.
"Turkey, which declares that Israel is not above international law,
must understand that it isn't either," Dan Meridor, the Israeli
Cabinet minister in charge of intelligence, said. "I do not think it
would be correct to get into verbal saber rattling with him now. I
think that our silence is the best answer, and I hope this will pass
" Meridor told Army Radio. "I think anyone who is listening can make
their own mind up about him and the direction he has chosen."
From: A. Papazian
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Sept 9 2011
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman reportedly plans meetings
with PKK leaders in Europe to discuss cooperation with terrorist
group in every possible way.
Israel's hawkish foreign minister is planning a series of measures
to retaliate against Turkey in an apology row, including military
aid to the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a news report
said on Friday.
Other planned measures are cooperation with the Armenian lobby in
the US in its efforts to win recognition for Armenian claims that
1.5 million Armenians were victims of a genocide campaign in the late
Ottoman Empire during the First World War years and to issue a travel
warning urging all Israeli military veterans to refrain from traveling
to Turkey, according to the report in Yedioth Ahranoth. The travel
advisory will also urge Israelis to refrain from boarding connections
in Turkey, the report said.
The planned measures apparently came out of a meeting attended by
senior Israeli Foreign Ministry officials on Thursday, which the
report said was held in preparation for a meeting on Saturday that
will be attended by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, a harsh critic
of efforts to restore relations with Turkey after Ankara announced
a set of sanctions against Israel for its refusal to apologize for
the killing of eight Turks and one Turkish American on an aid ship
trying to break the blockade of Gaza on May 31, 2010.
Accordingly, Lieberman insists that the Israeli efforts should focus
on ways to respond to Turkey's sanctions, not formulating an apology
for the 2010 incident, because what Turkey is interested is not an
apology but exploiting the dispute with Israel so as to boost its
regional standing.
Saturday's meeting will reportedly focus on those ways to respond
to Turkey.
The Turkish government announced last Friday that it downgrades
diplomatic relations with Israel and suspends military agreements. It
also promised to take measures to ensure freedom of navigation in the
eastern Mediterranean, where the 2010 incident took place, without
elaborating. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared
on Thursday that Turkish warships would escort future convoys to the
Gaza Strip to prevent a repeat of the deadly Israeli raid last year.
Yedioth Ahranoth said Lieberman plans meetings with PKK leaders in
Europe in order to find ways to cooperate with them "in every possible
area."In these meetings, the PKK leaders may ask Israel for military
aid in the form of training and arms supplies, the report said.
Lieberman is also planning active Israeli participation in efforts
worldwide to report Turkey's "violations of human rights" in treatment
of minorities in Turkey.
"We'll exact a price from Erdogan that will prove to him that messing
with Israel doesn't pay off. Turkey better treat us with respect and
common decency," Lieberman was quoted as saying.
Whether Lieberman's threats could ever be implemented remains
questionable. Turkey's demand for an apology has divided the Israeli
government, with hawks such as Lieberman strictly opposing it while
others insisting that a way must be found to restore ties because
Turkey is an ally of critical importance for Israel.
On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel and Turkey
will eventually mend fences rather than become foes, dismissing their
apology dispute as "spilled milk."
Speaking on Friday, another Israeli official said Erdogan's threat
of sending warships to eastern Mediterranean was "grave and serious"
but refused to go into a war of words.
"Turkey, which declares that Israel is not above international law,
must understand that it isn't either," Dan Meridor, the Israeli
Cabinet minister in charge of intelligence, said. "I do not think it
would be correct to get into verbal saber rattling with him now. I
think that our silence is the best answer, and I hope this will pass
" Meridor told Army Radio. "I think anyone who is listening can make
their own mind up about him and the direction he has chosen."
From: A. Papazian