MORE THAN A HUMAN TRAGEDY; A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY
Shahan Kandaharian

Aztag Daily
Jan 5 2009
Lebanon

The first part of the title is taken from "Hurriyet" and the
second part is from "Today’s Zaman" and the title is circulated by
the Associated Press. These are two separate announcements made by
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan. Turkey’s prime minister
wasn’t satisfied by "a human tragedy" so, the next day he increased
the contents of the announcement a notch. With a one-day difference
(the first announcement was made on Saturday and the second one
yesterday – Sunday, Jan 4), the prime minister of Turkey gave two
different descriptions to the events taking place in Gaza.

In the columns below a special spotlight has been placed on the
protest actions unleashed in Turkey. A quick observation would above
all else focus on the following fact: the ingredients of the wave of
protests in Turkey against different topics has almost always been
uniform. Purely Turkish agenda: for example, the headscarf issue
had clearly divided the populace into Muslims and secularists, the
dissent on the Armenian issue has emerged in the leftist spheres,
the same goes for the Kurdish issue.

As for the events taking place in Gaza the wave of protest has been
far from the uniformity theory. A quick look on the protestors’ mass
will show a diversification: it consists of Muslims, secularists,
nationalists and leftists. The wave of the resentment is Pan-Turkish
and it obviously has urged the Turkish prime minister to make the
announcement.

After all it’s not "Hamas" that’s been accused of a crime against
humanity or of being the side that has caused a human tragedy. The
address is clear. The accusation is directed against Israel,
Turkey’s strategic partner, which in this case has been committing
a crime against humanity or is being held responsible for a human
tragedy. Let’s go back to the specificities of the accusing side and
the side that’s being accused. It’s also important to mention that on
the first days of the Israeli attacks, the foreign minister of Turkey
considered the military operation an insult against his own country,
announcing the suspension of his mediatory role between Israel and
Syria. Turkey, a member in the UN Security Council at present, in
its membership campaign was promising to adopt a foundational role
in the resolution of the Middle East conflicts. It was made clear in
the media that Turkey, which had expressed a willingness to play a
role as a peacemaker and mediator, recorded continual failures when
its prime minister’s attempts to establish a ceasefire failed.

After the failure of the attempts to establish political solutions
and a ceasefire and considering the Pan-Turkish wave of protest,
the prime minister of Turkey has recorded a political retreat also
giving way to a rather harsh announcement.

Statistical data showed that the slope of the anti-American sentiments
of the Turkish public opinion had soared up to very high levels. Its
beyond any doubt that anti-israelism must have scored a new record in
Turkey as well. What’s happening is that the trenches found between
the state structures and official spheres on one hand and the public
wave on the other are running deeper and deeper. In its turn the
Armenian issue as well is taking its place in that overall crack.

The title used by "Today’s Zaman" is shocking. Crime against
humanity. The Turkish prime minister himself is familiar with the
judiciary consequences the recognition of such an accusation can
have. After all he is an heir of a state that has committed a crime
against humanity. In any case, causing a human tragedy is not less
significant. However, the first one is a term used in international
law and conventions, the consequences of which are also formulated
in those laws and conventions.

Statehood is a continual process. Although during different historical
eras and in different magnitudes, Turkey and Israel are also "partners"
in committing crimes against humanity in its judiciary-political
sense. Presently, one is accusing the other.

In any case, what is interesting is the phenomenon of being both the
accuser and the accused.