silko
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WRONG!
islam didn't come with the Prophet (pbuh). it came with the first human and the first prophet in the world.
Report: Turkish frigates to confront Israeli ships in Mediterranean
- Thread starter RedBeard
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WRONG!
islam didn't come with the Prophet (pbuh). it came with the first human and the first prophet in the world.
Cerian
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What is occupied land? You lot have a penchant for declaring most non-religious countries as occupied. It has been droned over thousand times on this forum that dinosaur's land was there even before religion was born.
Tshering22
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Listen, I am talking from South Asian perspective. You guys are closer to Israelis and have a dispute. But what's the point? All was well until suddenly there were problems. Haven't you wondered where this is going for no reason? International waters end before entering Gaza. Which means the moment Turkish Navy enters Gazan waters, it is an act of war against Israel.
Please think about it. You're ruining decades of alliance for no reason.
Quasar
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An article from Hurriet, written by NURAY MERT.
War at home, war in the world
The aphorism Peace at home, peace in the world is often cited to summarize Kemalist foreign policy and suggests a quietist policy. In fact, early republican foreign policy meant denouncing the Ottoman past and the troubles of World War I and much has changed since then.
It is claimed that now we live in a post-Kemalist era which is looking to update the republican regime in a more democratic way and pursue a more active foreign policy. Still, there was no need to reverse the message of the famous aphorism and come close to war at home, war in the world.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutolus famous policy of zero problem with neighbors was far too optimistic and failed dramatically. Still, there must have been a chance to opt for the mild middle way rather than oscillate from one extreme to the other in such a short span of time. In fact, it is unfair to criticize the present government for switching overnight in terms of Syria and Libya. The Western policy was to first switch from the policy of rapprochement to one of confrontation in Libya and Syria. Turkey could do nothing but comply with Western policy afterwards.
Turkish foreign policy can only be criticized for being too naive as the country attempted to overplay its role so much so that it turned into a sort of neo-Ottomanism.
Turkey failed to recognize the complexity of regional politics and deluded itself with the dream of regional leadership in a very difficult time. Besides, Turkey took for granted the Western support for its active foreign policy. Finally, Turkey overestimated its power and tended to underestimate its weaknesses. This is how we have started to head for a situation of zero friends instead of zero problems, as some claim.
Apart from the coming crises with Iran and the acid test of Syria, Turkeys ambition for regional leadership has begun to be resented also by our new allies in the Arab Spring. Egypt did everything to stop Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoan from visiting Gaza and giving a speech in Tahrir Square. Moreover, he attracted criticism from secularists since he it was claimed that he was allied with the Muslim Brotherhood, or MB, even as he was challenged by the MB because of his advice on secularism. Turkeys ambition to be the protector of the Palestinian cause is another source of concern among Arabs.
In addition, despite the fact that Turkey joined the efforts for regime change in Libya, the first thing that Erdoan did after the visit to Libya was to give a very critical speech targeting his supposed allies, the British and the French, for their imperialistic policies in Libya.
Turkeys deteriorating relations with Israel are another problem and the current position has already exceeded the bounds of Realpolitik. It may even be claimed that Turkeys position has started to become an obstacle for a Palestinian peace rather than an aid to solving the problem. Turkey is now escalating the tension in the eastern Mediterranean by confronting Cyprus (and so Greece and Russia indirectly as well) in the middle of this mess.
Last but not the least, there seems to be no peaceful prospect concerning the Kurdish question at home. On the contrary, tension and confrontation is reaching alarming levels.
War at home, war in the world
The aphorism Peace at home, peace in the world is often cited to summarize Kemalist foreign policy and suggests a quietist policy. In fact, early republican foreign policy meant denouncing the Ottoman past and the troubles of World War I and much has changed since then.
It is claimed that now we live in a post-Kemalist era which is looking to update the republican regime in a more democratic way and pursue a more active foreign policy. Still, there was no need to reverse the message of the famous aphorism and come close to war at home, war in the world.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutolus famous policy of zero problem with neighbors was far too optimistic and failed dramatically. Still, there must have been a chance to opt for the mild middle way rather than oscillate from one extreme to the other in such a short span of time. In fact, it is unfair to criticize the present government for switching overnight in terms of Syria and Libya. The Western policy was to first switch from the policy of rapprochement to one of confrontation in Libya and Syria. Turkey could do nothing but comply with Western policy afterwards.
Turkish foreign policy can only be criticized for being too naive as the country attempted to overplay its role so much so that it turned into a sort of neo-Ottomanism.
Turkey failed to recognize the complexity of regional politics and deluded itself with the dream of regional leadership in a very difficult time. Besides, Turkey took for granted the Western support for its active foreign policy. Finally, Turkey overestimated its power and tended to underestimate its weaknesses. This is how we have started to head for a situation of zero friends instead of zero problems, as some claim.
Apart from the coming crises with Iran and the acid test of Syria, Turkeys ambition for regional leadership has begun to be resented also by our new allies in the Arab Spring. Egypt did everything to stop Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoan from visiting Gaza and giving a speech in Tahrir Square. Moreover, he attracted criticism from secularists since he it was claimed that he was allied with the Muslim Brotherhood, or MB, even as he was challenged by the MB because of his advice on secularism. Turkeys ambition to be the protector of the Palestinian cause is another source of concern among Arabs.
In addition, despite the fact that Turkey joined the efforts for regime change in Libya, the first thing that Erdoan did after the visit to Libya was to give a very critical speech targeting his supposed allies, the British and the French, for their imperialistic policies in Libya.
Turkeys deteriorating relations with Israel are another problem and the current position has already exceeded the bounds of Realpolitik. It may even be claimed that Turkeys position has started to become an obstacle for a Palestinian peace rather than an aid to solving the problem. Turkey is now escalating the tension in the eastern Mediterranean by confronting Cyprus (and so Greece and Russia indirectly as well) in the middle of this mess.
Last but not the least, there seems to be no peaceful prospect concerning the Kurdish question at home. On the contrary, tension and confrontation is reaching alarming levels.
RedBeard
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Turkish warships harass Israeli freighters. Israeli missile boats off Cyprus
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report October 2, 2011, 11:10 AM (GMT+02:00)
Increasingly assertive Turkey is setting the scene for clashes in the eastern Mediterranean. Since Thursday, Sept. 29, Turkish warships have been harassing Israeli merchant vessels in waters off Cyprus, debkafile's military sources report. They come close enough to establish wireless communication and caution the Israeli vessels they are in contravention of international law and ordering them to change course. The Israeli crews mostly ignore these "orders", treating them as Ankara's latest bid to assert Turkish naval mastery of the Eastern Mediterranean. But the situation is getting explosive enough to spark a major incident.
Over the weekend, Israeli Air Force planes circled near the sites of the incidents but not directly over the Turkish vessels. At the same time Israeli missile ships sailed close to Cyprus's Exclusive Economic Zone waters, where the Houston-based Noble Energy began drilling for natural gas on Sept. 19 in the face of Turkish threats. The rig is situated 160 kilometers south of Cyprus adjacent to Israel's Leviathan gas field.
Western naval sources tracking the new Turkish and Israeli deployments reported Saturday, Oct. 1: "Turkey and Israel are in a constant muscle-flexing contest in the eastern Mediterranean. They are metaphorically shaking fists in each other's faces and raising the risk of a confrontation that could quickly veer out of control."
Last week, Ankara retaliated for Cypriot and Israeli deep sea gas explorations by sending an exploration ship of its own escorted by a frigate and a submarine to Cyprus. Ankara sources also disclosed that Turkish F-16 fighters had been deployed in the northern part of the island.
Voicing concern over Turkey's assertiveness, NATO secretary-general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Friday, Sept. 30, said: "Obviously, the tensions between Turkey and Israel are a matter of concern. It's a bilateral issue – NATO is not going to interfere with that. But it is the interest of the alliance to see these tensions eased, because Turkey is a key ally and Israel is a valuable partner for the alliance."
The NATO Secretary contradicted Ankara's claim that Israel would not be allowed to open an office at alliance headquarters in Brussels. "NATO defense ministers agreed during the meeting in April that NATO partners can have offices… This includes all partners," he said.
Referring to concern about the tensions over natural gas exploration "between Turkey and Cyprus as well as Israel," Rasmussen said: "I urge all parties to find peaceful solutions to disputes through constructive dialogue." He said he did not expect armed clashes in the region. However, he suggested that Turkey has to be managed carefully as it asserts a growing role on the global stage.
Also Saturday, Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias had this message for Ankara: "I wish to underline to all those who attempt to question this right of the Republic of Cyprus: our sovereign rights are non-negotiable."
Five days ago, the prime ministers of Greece and Turkey, George Papandreou and Tayyip Erdogan talked by phone. And four days ago, Adm. James Stavridis, Commander of NATO forces in Europe, flew to Ankara directly from Israel for talks with Turkish leaders.
Turkish harassment of Israeli cargo vessels began after those interchanges, indicating that the Erdogan government has no intention of meeting exasperated US and NATO efforts to cool rising tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report October 2, 2011, 11:10 AM (GMT+02:00)
Increasingly assertive Turkey is setting the scene for clashes in the eastern Mediterranean. Since Thursday, Sept. 29, Turkish warships have been harassing Israeli merchant vessels in waters off Cyprus, debkafile's military sources report. They come close enough to establish wireless communication and caution the Israeli vessels they are in contravention of international law and ordering them to change course. The Israeli crews mostly ignore these "orders", treating them as Ankara's latest bid to assert Turkish naval mastery of the Eastern Mediterranean. But the situation is getting explosive enough to spark a major incident.
Over the weekend, Israeli Air Force planes circled near the sites of the incidents but not directly over the Turkish vessels. At the same time Israeli missile ships sailed close to Cyprus's Exclusive Economic Zone waters, where the Houston-based Noble Energy began drilling for natural gas on Sept. 19 in the face of Turkish threats. The rig is situated 160 kilometers south of Cyprus adjacent to Israel's Leviathan gas field.
Western naval sources tracking the new Turkish and Israeli deployments reported Saturday, Oct. 1: "Turkey and Israel are in a constant muscle-flexing contest in the eastern Mediterranean. They are metaphorically shaking fists in each other's faces and raising the risk of a confrontation that could quickly veer out of control."
Last week, Ankara retaliated for Cypriot and Israeli deep sea gas explorations by sending an exploration ship of its own escorted by a frigate and a submarine to Cyprus. Ankara sources also disclosed that Turkish F-16 fighters had been deployed in the northern part of the island.
Voicing concern over Turkey's assertiveness, NATO secretary-general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Friday, Sept. 30, said: "Obviously, the tensions between Turkey and Israel are a matter of concern. It's a bilateral issue – NATO is not going to interfere with that. But it is the interest of the alliance to see these tensions eased, because Turkey is a key ally and Israel is a valuable partner for the alliance."
The NATO Secretary contradicted Ankara's claim that Israel would not be allowed to open an office at alliance headquarters in Brussels. "NATO defense ministers agreed during the meeting in April that NATO partners can have offices… This includes all partners," he said.
Referring to concern about the tensions over natural gas exploration "between Turkey and Cyprus as well as Israel," Rasmussen said: "I urge all parties to find peaceful solutions to disputes through constructive dialogue." He said he did not expect armed clashes in the region. However, he suggested that Turkey has to be managed carefully as it asserts a growing role on the global stage.
Also Saturday, Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias had this message for Ankara: "I wish to underline to all those who attempt to question this right of the Republic of Cyprus: our sovereign rights are non-negotiable."
Five days ago, the prime ministers of Greece and Turkey, George Papandreou and Tayyip Erdogan talked by phone. And four days ago, Adm. James Stavridis, Commander of NATO forces in Europe, flew to Ankara directly from Israel for talks with Turkish leaders.
Turkish harassment of Israeli cargo vessels began after those interchanges, indicating that the Erdogan government has no intention of meeting exasperated US and NATO efforts to cool rising tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.
RedBeard
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Assad: Syria will shower Tel Aviv with rockets if attacked by foreign powers
Speaking with Turkish FM, Syrian president warned West against 'crazy measures,' adding that it would take Damascus 6 hours to launch a strike against Israel.
Syria will strike Israel and "set fire" to the Middle East if foreign forces choose to launch a military strike on the protest-ridden country, Syrian President Bashar Assad said on Tuesday.
During a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Assad was quoted by the Iranian semi-official news agency Fars as saying that Syria would not hesitate to strike major Israeli cities if it was attacked.
"If a crazy measure is taken against Damascus, I will need not more than 6 hours to transfer hundreds of rockets and missiles to the Golan Heights to fire them at Tel Aviv," Assad said.
In addition, the Fars reported indicated that the Syrian president told the Turkish FM that he would also call on Hezbollah in Lebanon to launch a rocket attack on Israel, adding: "All these events will happen in three hours, but in the second three hours, Iran will attack the U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf and the U.S. and European interests will be targeted simultaneously."
Assad's comments to the Turkish FM came after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier Tuesday he would set out his country's plans for sanctions against Syria after he visits a Syrian refugee camp near the border in the coming days.
The move heralds a further deterioration in previously friendly relations between Ankara and Damascus since the start of Assad's crackdown on protesters.
"Regarding sanctions, we will make an assessment and announce our road map after the visit to Hatay in southern Turkey, setting out the steps," Erdogan told reporters, adding he expected to visit the region at the weekend or the start of next week.
Some 7,000 Syrians have taken refuge in camps established in Hatay, in flight from President Assad's security forces.
Assad: Syria will shower Tel Aviv with rockets if attacked by foreign powers - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News
Zulkarneyn
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So what Assad is basically saying is that he will order attacks on Israel if Turkey intervenes in Syria. What kind of logic is that?
500
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Simple: Israel will surelly respond and Turkey would look very inconvenient attacking Syria together with Israel.
Solomon2
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- giving Erdogan the choice of whether he wants to pursue his regional ambition of appealing to the Arabs as their anti-Israel champion - in which case he has to stop attacking Syria - or whether his desire is for regional dominance regardless of Turkey's attitude towards Israel, in which case Erdogan will continue attacking Syria.
Risky, but the Assads are known to make these kinds of bets.
Risky, but the Assads are known to make these kinds of bets.
xenon54 out
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Why did you did revive a death thread? You not smart with posting.
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