David Harris ifrågasätter brittiske premiärministerns uttalanden i Turkiet.
British PM and Turkey: Rue, Britannia!
...British Prime Minister David Cameron traveled to Turkey last week "to establish a new partnership between Britain and Turkey," he stated in an Ankara speech. He described the link as "a vital strategic relationship for our country." At times, the speech made for painful reading. Sadly, traditional British grit and gumption were replaced by a rather servile tone throughout much of the talk. Britain needs Turkey, said Cameron. His words showed that he is prepared to serve as Turkey's booster-in-chief.But he overlooked, or downplayed, several key aspects of current Turkish policy."Turkey shares our determination to fight terrorism in all its forms, whether from al-Qaeda or from the PKK," he said.How to square that with Turkey's emergence as a stalwart defender of Hamas, a group on the European Union terrorism list? Or Turkey's support for Hizbullah, an Iranian-backed terrorist group that has created a state-within-a-state in Lebanon and has been implicated in the 2005 murder of Lebanon's ex-prime minister, Rafik Hariri? More than once, Turkish airspace and land were reportedly used by Iran to ship weapons to Hizbullah until Washington demanded that it end.Cameron also said of Turkey that "no other country has the same potential to build understanding between Israel and the Arab world." Yesterday, perhaps. Today? Out of the question. Tomorrow? It depends on who's in the driver's seat...
...In the next breath, Cameron stated, "Let me be clear: the Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla was completely unacceptable." There was no premeditated Israeli attack on "the Gaza flotilla." Rather, there was an effort, announced in advance, to prevent a group of ships from breaking a legitimate blockade. Until the last minute, Israel offered to have the ships' supplies offloaded at an Israeli port and, after a security check, sent to Gaza.All of the vessels, save one, agreed, and the outcome was peaceful. The exception was the Mavi Marmara, where Turkish "activists" with links to the terrorist-backing IHH were looking for a fight. As video footage clearly showed, the Israelis were unprepared for the violence that awaited them on board. Yet the British leader had not a single word of disapproval for the aggressive Turkish behavior. Instead, the entire onus was placed on Israel.He then declared that "Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp."The clear implication was that if Gaza is a "prison," Israel is the warden.Yet the British leader offered no context whatsoever.Just imagine instead that he had used the occasion to speak the truth and tell his hosts that Hamas, by its refusal to accept the Quartet's three conditions for engagement, is responsible for the situation in Gaza. He could have described the brutal nature of the Hamas regime and urged Ankara not to support it.He could have denounced the indoctrination of children in the never-ending struggle against Israel. He could have reminded those present that Egypt also shares a border with Gaza and views the Hamas regime no differently than Israel.He could have recalled that Hamas is the sworn enemy of the Palestinian Authority, and that the PA is opposed to Ankara's flirtation with Hamas. And, he could have quoted from the Hamas Charter about the goal of Israel's destruction and a Shari'a-based state in its place, not to mention its many anti-Semitic references.Indeed, he could have declared that if Gaza is a "prison," then Hamas holds the key. Regrettably, he did not. ..
Mer i samma ämne av Barry Rubin: How Not to Conduct Diplomacy: A Case Study: UK PM in Turkey
British Prime Minister David Cameron’s July 27 speech in Turkey will not live on in history. But it should, as an example of the decline of Western diplomacy and of suicide by political correctness. It is a textbook example of how not to conduct international affairs.
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