Turkey Calls on U.S. to Condemn Israel
[Guest post by DRJ]
Turkey has called on the Obama Administration to condemn the Israelis over yesterday’s flotilla raid:
“Turkey demanded on Tuesday that the United States condemn the deadly Israeli raid on an aid flotilla headed to the Gaza Strip that ended with Israeli soldiers killing nine activists.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters ahead of a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton that Turkey, an unofficial backer of the flotilla, was disappointed with the Obama administration’s response to the raid.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said later that Davutoglu did not demand a U.S. condemnation in his meeting with Clinton.
“The secretary reiterated during the meeting what she said afterwards, which is we have to have a careful, thoughtful approach to this going forward,” Crowley said.
Another senior Obama administration official said Davutoglu had in fact made plain to the United States his disappointment in the response. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
***
In a sign of the sensitivity of the raid on U.S.-Turkish relations, the State Department closed coverage of the meeting to the press. It had previously scheduled a photo opportunity, a venue in which reporters probably would have tried to ask questions.Before they met, however, Davutoglu was perfectly open about the message he would convey to Clinton.
“I have to be frank: I am not very happy with this statement from Washington yesterday,” Davutoglu said. “We expect a clear condemnation.”
He said that Turkey, a NATO member, would bring up the issue soon at the security alliance’s council.
“Citizens of member states were attacked by a country that is not a member of NATO,” he said. “I think you can make some conclusions out of this statement.”
Davutoglu said that there was no need to wait for an investigation of the killings, because in Turkey’s view the raid was illegal under international law because it happened in international waters.
“This is a criminal act,” he said. “We don’t need to make an investigation to see this.
Davutoglu also contrasted his criticism of the United States with praise of the statements by the European Union.”
Will Obama stand firm for Israel despite worldwide criticism? So far he has called for return of the flotilla dead and wounded (most were Turks), a “credible” investigation, and “better ways to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza without undermining Israel’s security.” I support that response and hope he stands firm, rather than looking for a way out that preserves his popularity in the rest of the world.
— DRJ
Citizens of a country were trying to illegally run a blockage. They got stopped. Nothing illegal about that—unlike the slaughter of the Armenians by the Turks in the last century. (Oh, that’s right, as a country we can’t officially acknowledge that because it would “offend” Turkey.)
Mike (e71888) — 6/1/2010 @ 6:48 pmI believe that the videos taken by the IDF soldiers are key. The administration realizes that the Israelis are telling the truth about what happened.
aunursa (937b19) — 6/1/2010 @ 6:49 pmWell said Mike. I was going to say exactly the same thing.
gazzer (8324ed) — 6/1/2010 @ 6:53 pmLet me know when the relief column for Turkish Kurds is ready to go.
Mike K (82f374) — 6/1/2010 @ 6:59 pmThe entire flotilla provocation was created by an organization that has funded Hamas and al Qaeda… among others. Obama has already expressed sorrow over the loss of Turkish
terrorists“peace activists”.Ain’t that enough?
GeneralMalaise (8de279) — 6/1/2010 @ 7:02 pmTurkey’s behavior proves it’s not part of any EU in spirit, and that it’s taken a huge step backward as a mature nation.
Patricia (160852) — 6/1/2010 @ 7:22 pmI like the idea of Israel sending Turkey a ship full of “humanitarian aid” for the Kurds. Just how would Turkey handle that?
See:
George (d57b1d) — 6/1/2010 @ 7:43 pmHow About A Convoy To Turkey?
I agree with Patricia that this is a bad omen regarding Turkey.
I hope the US will support the showing of the video in the UN.
Those who see the video and still want to condemn Israel will be confirming whether they stand “with the terrorists or with the civilized world”, and should then be treated accordingly.
MD in Philly (cb8efe) — 6/1/2010 @ 8:00 pmHey, Turkey is a member of NATO and as such is privy to war and contingency plans, weaponry, etc..
Just imagine how valuable that info would be to our adversaries in the Middle East, e.g., Iran.
GeneralMalaise (8de279) — 6/1/2010 @ 8:01 pmTurkey took a huge step backward when it refused to let the 4th ID enter its ports. This is just one more step in the same direction.
DRJ (d43dcd) — 6/1/2010 @ 8:08 pmDRJ – Exactly my thoughts. Apart from hindering our invasion plans for Iraq, what have they done for us lately, although we do have some major bases there.
daleyrocks (1d0d98) — 6/1/2010 @ 8:24 pmWell, Hilary Clinton shows the true colors of the far left administration and chooses sides — the wrong side. They lose; we lose; Israel loses; decency loses; the world will pay. May G-d save us from the idiots in charge.
mbabbitt (424211) — 6/1/2010 @ 9:52 pmIt’s absolutely amazing that we have spent the last three administrations gingerly tiptoeing around the Turkish massacre of Armenians — we dare not use that word lest it provoke Turkey, despite the deaths of at least half a million Armenians — yet somehow we are expected to jump to conclusions and condemn Israel in this controversial case. Screw Turkey. They should be told very diplomatically and behind closed doors that any Turkish demand of criticism of Israel by the U.S. will be met with a full and official U.S. acknowledgment of Armenian Genocide next time the anniversary rolls around.
JVW (264cc1) — 6/1/2010 @ 10:29 pmI hope this will be a learning experience for Obama.
Today’s lesson (and the lesson of the last year): “Obama’s popularity in the rest of the world plus a dollar won’t get him a cup of coffee.”
Steven Den Beste (99cfa1) — 6/1/2010 @ 10:32 pmWe willingly dumped the Greek alliance overboard in favor of Turkey, I’m sure with obama leading us, we’ll dump Israel (what ally haven’t we dumped?).
J (2946f2) — 6/2/2010 @ 5:08 amAnd now NATO is coming to Turkey’s aid? What kind of a topsyturvy world do we live in?
I agree with everythng JVW said, except possibly the “behind closed doors” part. Turkey has a lot of nerve, after spending the last two decades whining about US diplomatic pressure to do this and condemn that, to suddenly be demanding we immediately reach their preferred conclusion without any investigation. But I suppose that’s what the Audacity of Hope gets you.
Sean P (6f6c60) — 6/2/2010 @ 5:38 amTurkey’s behavior proves it’s not part of any EU in spirit, and that it’s taken a huge step backward as a mature nation.
They’ve lost their prior ardor for EU membership – and after the latest debt/monetary crisis in Europe, they definitely want no part of it anymore. They’re firmly allied with Iran and Syria now – only their army can save them, if there are any officers left who aren’t Islamists.
Dmac (3d61d9) — 6/2/2010 @ 8:10 amThe Salafists are provoking world war. It sucks to be Israel, maybe India will back them and make it two against 160 with the US “present and in charge from day one”.
gary gulrud (790d43) — 6/2/2010 @ 8:58 amI agree with everythng JVW said, except possibly the “behind closed doors” part.
Turkey is still nominally an ally. I would prefer that this be handled in private for the time being as a sign of respect to Turkey and the Turkish people.
I agree with Dmac’s comment at 8:10 am. The EU missed their chance to bring Turkey into the fold; why in the world would Turkey want to join that organization now?
JVW (221d56) — 6/2/2010 @ 12:35 pmIt’s time for another military coup in Turkey. In fact it’s long overdue. A real US president would assign a real (i.e. pre-Church-Commission) CIA to do its stuff, and pretty soon, to our shock and horror, a coup there would be. We’d condemn it, give the ambassador a strong talking-to, and we’d have a reliable ally again for at least the next decade.
Milhouse (0ef6a8) — 6/2/2010 @ 4:22 pmOne gang of anti-Semites (Turkish government) praises another gang of anti-Semites (the EU) for its statements concerning another gang of anti-Semites who tried to run a blockade. Well… we all know how anti-Semitism worked for the last EU (the Thousand-Year Reich).
tehag (37e55e) — 6/2/2010 @ 7:03 pm