I love how in casting about for someone else to blame, people like StandWithUs have centered their sights not on the people who founded and led the Free Gaza Movement, but the government of Turkey. Few are making the very wide distinction between Turkish political hot air and private parties hoping to ride the coattails of an established aid operation.
Turkey is the only other nation near Israel that has a comparable military budget. Israel’s military expenses are greater than that of all her neighbors COMBINED…excepting Turkey, who spends a similar amount. To date, their two militaries conducted joint drills and were the most formidable presence in the Mediterranean Sea. Now, thanks to the blame game, the enemy is no longer Hamas or Free Gaza boosters…but Israel’s closest regional ally.
Do people realize how foolish this is to make Turkey the enemy?
When it comes to this issue, I think the capacity of the Turkish diplomacy is much more important than that of its army.
Until now, it seems like the Israelis are not even close to keeping up. So far, the Turks have been superior on all fronts, and Netanyahu is being branded as Israels version of Slobodan Milosevic.
Netanyahu & co can pressure the US all they want – its only going to make US opinion irrelevant in the rest of the world. Look, for instance, at the harsh statement made from NATO. Why would NATO do that, knowing full well that giving Turkey any backing, could easily lead to escalation? Simple, except the US, all NATO countries actually agree with Turkey! They agree that the attack is, de jure, a military attack on a NATO ally, and, hence, that the NATO pact could be activated.
The alternatives for AIPAC are bad: Either, the US has to accept very heavy pressure on Israel, or, they have to accept that NATO falls apart, and the European allies and Turkey forms their own defensive alliance – one that would probably have as close ties to Russia as to the US.
Needless to say, the strongarming of Obama is about to backfire, not only for Obama…
Unless they’re right all along and Turkish government agents infiltrated the ship and instigated the violence.