.
3/25/13, "The Meaning and Consequences of Israel’s Apology to Turkey," Caroline Glick, FrontPage
"US President Barack Obama was on the line when Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu called Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to
apologize for the deaths of nine Turkish protesters aboard the Turkish
ship Mavi Marmara on May 31, 2010....
As for the future of Israel-Turkish cooperation on Syria, two things
must be borne in mind. First, on Saturday Erdogan claimed that
Netanyahu’s apology was insufficient to restore Turkish-Israel
relations. He claimed that before he could take any concrete actions to
restore relations, Israel would first have to compensate the families of
the passengers from the Mavi Marmara killed while assaulting IDF
soldiers with deadly force.
Beyond that, it is far from clear that Turkey shares Israel’s
interests in preventing the rise of a jihadist regime in Syria allied
with al-Qaeda. More than any other actor, Erdogan has played a central
role in enabling the early jihadist penetration and domination of the
ranks of the US-supported Syrian opposition forces. It is far from clear
that the man who enabled these jihadists to rise to power shares
Israel’s interest in preventing them from seizing Syria’s weapons of
mass destruction....
So if interests, rather than sentiments dictate Turkey’s actions on
Syria, as they dictate the interests of the Arab League in kicking
Israel when it is perceived as being down, what does Obama’s central
role in compelling Israel to apologize to Turkey tell us about his
attitude towards Israel and how his attitude towards Israel is perceived
by Israel’s neighbors, including Iran?
By forcing Israel to apologize to Turkey, Obama effectively forced
Israel to acknowledge that it is in the wrong for lawful actions by its
military taken in defense of international law and of Israel’s national
security.
That is, Obama sided with the aggressor – Turkey – over the
victim – Israel. And in so doing, he signaled, deliberately or
inadvertently, to the rest of Israel’s neighbors that the US is no
longer siding with Israel in regional disputes. As a consequence, they
now feel that it is reasonable for them to press their advantage and
demand further Israeli apologies for daring to defend itself from their
aggression.
Whether or not Obama meant to send this message, this is a direct
consequence of his visit. Now Israel needs to consider its options for
moving forward. For Israel’s allies in Congress, it is important to take
a strong position on the issue. Members of Congress and Senate would do
well to pass resolutions stating their conviction that Israel, while
within its own rights to apologize, operated with reasonable force and
wholly in accordance with international law in its interdiction of the
Mavi Marmara, which was on an illegal voyage to provide aid and comfort
for an internationally recognized terrorist organization in
contravention of binding UN Security Council resolution 1379 from
September 2001, which prohibits the proffering of such aid. Congress
should enjoin the administration to issue a declaration noting US
support for Israel in its actions to defend itself from aggression in
all forms, including from Hamas-controlled Gaza.
Second, Israel should scale back the level of military assistance it
receives from the US. While Obama was in Israel, he pledged to expand US
military assistance to Israel in the coming years. By unilaterally
scaling back US assistance and developing its domestic military
industries, Israel would send a strong signal to its neighbors that it
is not completely dependent on the US and as a consequence, the level of
US support for Israel does not determine Israel’s capacity to continue
to defend itself.
On a wider level, it is important for Israel to develop the means to end
its dependency on the US. Under Obama, despite the support of the great
majority of the public, the US has become an undependable ally to
Israel, and indeed to the rest of the US’s allies as well. The more quickly Israel can minimize its dependence, the better it will be for Israel for the US and for the stability of the region. The apology to
Turkey was a strategic error. To minimize its consequences, Israel must
boldly assert its interests in Syria, Iran, and throughout the region." via Atlas Shrugs (video at link about Gaza flotilla incident)
.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment