Hurriyet Daily News , Turkey
Sept 10 2011
A gypsy boasting
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Believing that the Americans, some European allies and particularly
the Israelis are deep involved in whatever happens against Turkey is
one perennial psychopathic condition in this country. There are of
course some historical background stories feeding the paranoia of
Turks; for example the British role behind the 1925
Kurdish-fundamentalist uprising, the French role in the Armenian
troubles during the occupation period and before or most lately the
urban legends about American officers meeting in the Kandil Mountains
in northern Iraq with leaders of the separatist gang, providing the
terrorists with food and arms. Seeking foreign hands behind whatever
development that might not be in the best interest of the government
in the country or the state is not a situation peculiar to Syria's
Basher al-Assad, this country has a rather high prevalence rate of the
same condition.
It is said that in boasting about how great a man he is, a gypsy was
listing his crimes. I remembered that joke reading Israeli media
reports of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's remarks that might
turn the existing fire in Israel-Turkey relations into a total
apocalypse. Many people in Turkey, top political figures included,
jumped on the reports as a testimony by Israel that it has been
involved in some illegitimate and dirty business against Turkey. What
would be the benefit to Israel in supporting legislation of a
resolution in the U.S. Congress supporting Armenian genocide claims?
Even though Turks might be enraged in seeing Israel undertaking
support for Armenian claims, that would be nothing compared to Israel
supporting the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, terrorist
gang. What would be the interest of Israel in arranging meetings in
European capitals between its foreign minister or top diplomats and
the representatives of the PKK? Will it be indeed in Israel's best
interest to support in various ways, including providing arms and
ammunition, to the PKK?
If what Lieberman `leaked' to the media as Israel's contingency plans
to `punish' Turkey were indeed discussed in Israeli government
offices, that is indeed bad news for Israel. Bad news firstly because
it had such a foreign minister fool enough to `unveil' in such an
amateurish way and exposing to Turks Israel's face of blackmail in
full ignorance and naivety; secondly, with such exposures Israel risks
losing all together the already very badly hurt Turkish friendship
that indeed must be very important for it in this not-so-friendly
neighborhood. Can't Lieberman think that if Israel considers
supporting the PKK as a tool to punish current Israel-bashing policies
of the Turkish government, would not that be evidence supporting
perennial suspicions of some people in Turkey that Israel has been one
of the external supporters of PKK terrorism?
It is easy to straight away accuse everyone criticizing any policy or
wrongdoing of the Israeli government of being anti-Semitic. That's a
cheap and easy way to silence critics and continue committing serious
crimes as if it was not the Jewish people who went through similar and
far worse ordeals. Such moves will not help end the growing isolation
of Israel in the region and in global politics.
It is of course impossible to accept the violence the Israeli Embassy
in Cairo was subjected to. Yet, before accusing Turkey - which of
course made some serious mistakes in this ordeal - or the Egyptian
government, the Israeli government must sit back and think about what
great contributions it made to the devastation of its precious ties
with Turkey and Egypt
From: A. Papazian
Sept 10 2011
A gypsy boasting
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Believing that the Americans, some European allies and particularly
the Israelis are deep involved in whatever happens against Turkey is
one perennial psychopathic condition in this country. There are of
course some historical background stories feeding the paranoia of
Turks; for example the British role behind the 1925
Kurdish-fundamentalist uprising, the French role in the Armenian
troubles during the occupation period and before or most lately the
urban legends about American officers meeting in the Kandil Mountains
in northern Iraq with leaders of the separatist gang, providing the
terrorists with food and arms. Seeking foreign hands behind whatever
development that might not be in the best interest of the government
in the country or the state is not a situation peculiar to Syria's
Basher al-Assad, this country has a rather high prevalence rate of the
same condition.
It is said that in boasting about how great a man he is, a gypsy was
listing his crimes. I remembered that joke reading Israeli media
reports of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's remarks that might
turn the existing fire in Israel-Turkey relations into a total
apocalypse. Many people in Turkey, top political figures included,
jumped on the reports as a testimony by Israel that it has been
involved in some illegitimate and dirty business against Turkey. What
would be the benefit to Israel in supporting legislation of a
resolution in the U.S. Congress supporting Armenian genocide claims?
Even though Turks might be enraged in seeing Israel undertaking
support for Armenian claims, that would be nothing compared to Israel
supporting the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, terrorist
gang. What would be the interest of Israel in arranging meetings in
European capitals between its foreign minister or top diplomats and
the representatives of the PKK? Will it be indeed in Israel's best
interest to support in various ways, including providing arms and
ammunition, to the PKK?
If what Lieberman `leaked' to the media as Israel's contingency plans
to `punish' Turkey were indeed discussed in Israeli government
offices, that is indeed bad news for Israel. Bad news firstly because
it had such a foreign minister fool enough to `unveil' in such an
amateurish way and exposing to Turks Israel's face of blackmail in
full ignorance and naivety; secondly, with such exposures Israel risks
losing all together the already very badly hurt Turkish friendship
that indeed must be very important for it in this not-so-friendly
neighborhood. Can't Lieberman think that if Israel considers
supporting the PKK as a tool to punish current Israel-bashing policies
of the Turkish government, would not that be evidence supporting
perennial suspicions of some people in Turkey that Israel has been one
of the external supporters of PKK terrorism?
It is easy to straight away accuse everyone criticizing any policy or
wrongdoing of the Israeli government of being anti-Semitic. That's a
cheap and easy way to silence critics and continue committing serious
crimes as if it was not the Jewish people who went through similar and
far worse ordeals. Such moves will not help end the growing isolation
of Israel in the region and in global politics.
It is of course impossible to accept the violence the Israeli Embassy
in Cairo was subjected to. Yet, before accusing Turkey - which of
course made some serious mistakes in this ordeal - or the Egyptian
government, the Israeli government must sit back and think about what
great contributions it made to the devastation of its precious ties
with Turkey and Egypt
From: A. Papazian