The
Turkish government’s forceful response to the killing of five of its
citizens in an artillery barrage from Syrian government forces operating
near the border is understandable.Turkey’s counterattack began with two
days of artillery counter-strikes which reportedly killed a number of
Syrian soldiers, and there are indications that an expanded operation is
being planned. The Turkish parliament has given the government advance
approval for a ground incursion into Syria, in response to the
“aggressive action” which posed a serious threat to national security.
In
the wake of this attack and the swift response, surely the Turkish
government, headed by Prime Minister Erdogan, will understand and
support the Israeli response to far more violent attacks on its civilian
population. If Turkey is justified in conducting a major military
response following the accidental cross-border killing of five
civilians, its leaders will understand Israel’s right and need to act
militarily in order to stop the thousands of deadly rocket attacks from
Hamas-controlled Gaza.
In
retrospect, perhaps Erdogan and other Turkish leaders will realize that
their venomous attacks on Israel during and after the anti-terror
operation in Gaza that began at the end of December 2008 were wrong. The
false accusations of “massacres” and “human rights violations”, which
were part of the ongoing political warfare against Israel (including thediscredited Goldstone report),
should never have been repeated by the Turkish leaders. Now, the same
strategy is readily available for allegations against Turkish military
forces operating in Syria (although the type of political coalition
arrayed against Jerusalem to pursue human rights warfare and lawfare is
unlikely to be formed against Ankara).
In this context, instead of demanding an apology from Israel for the unfortunate events related to the 2010 “Free Gaza” flotilla,
Prime Minister Erdogan might consider apologizing to Israel for his
unjustified and vitriolic attacks. This flotilla, which departed from
Turkey with the support of the government, was designed to give
assistance to Hamas and terror attacks against Israeli territory and
citizens. One boat, the Mavi Marmara, included members of the IHH terror
organization, and when this armed group violently attacked the IDF
landing party, carrying paint-ball guns, and threatened to kill them,
the soldiers defended their lives, resulting in the deaths of nine IHH
members. Since then, Erdogan has repeatedly attacked Israeli leaders,
and demanded a public apology.
But
in light of the Turkish government’s efforts defend the nation and its
citizens against Syrian attacks, the Israeli response in 2010 is
entirely consistent with Turkish policies. Erdogan needs to acknowledge
this in order to avoid the appearance of double standards, in which one
set of morals is seen to apply to Turkey, while entirely different
requirements are demanded from Israel. An apology to Israel would mark a
good beginning.
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