NOTE TO ISRAEL
By Taha Akyol
Turkish Press
Feb 17 2009
AKSAM- Israeli Land Forces Commander Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi has lost
his senses. Following Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s cutting
remarks to Israeli President Shimon Peres in Davos, Mizrahi said that
Erdogan should look in the mirror, because Turks massacred Armenians
and now they’re doing the same thing to Kurds, and they also invaded
Cyprus. The Foreign Ministry gave Israel a note branding Mizrahi’s
statements ‘ravings’ and requested an explanation. ‘Ravings’ is a
very harsh expression in diplomacy, but Mizrahi deserved it. The
General Staff also said that Mizrahi had gone beyond his duties,
authorities and responsibilities and that his statements would damage
national interests. The Israeli chief of general staff should know
how serious this warning is! I’ll criticize Erdogan’s remarks, but
first let’s look at what Mizrahi said.
First, since 1968 Israel has been the ‘invading country,’ and has
committed barbaric massacres in the territories it invaded. This is
no mere claim, but a reality under UN resolutions. On the other hand,
Turkey is the legal inheritor of the Ottoman state, the legitimacy
of which is accepted by European law. Turkey hasn’t taken one
inch more Ottoman territory than was recognized by international
law in 1914! These territories have been part of Turkey for 1,000
years! Consider these historical and legal realities: there is no
comparison between the problems which the Ottoman government faced in
its defense after the Armenian committees allied themselves with the
Russian Army during World War I, with Israel’s barbaric treatment of
Israel of civilians living in the territory it invaded; nor is there
anything in common between Turkey’s legal fight against terrorism and
Israel’s violence against civilians who lived in the territory that
it invaded; and failing to see that Turkey’s 1974 Peace Operation was
conducted to stop the massacres in Northern Cyprus and that security
and peace prevails throughout Cyprus today, while calling Turkey an
‘invader country,’ isn’t a problem with reason, but a display of
enmity against Turkey. Turkey can’t tolerate such a hostile stance. I
don’t care if Turkish-Israeli relations suffer or not. The Israeli
government is responsible for setting things right.
I’ve previously written that Erdogan was right in his statements
in Davos, but the style of his remarks was problematic, because
I’m bothered by the reactions to such statements as ‘you know very
well how to kill people.’ Similarly, diplomats anticipated this and
scolded Erdogan, who said his reaction wasn’t against Peres or the
Israeli nation, but the moderator of the Davos panel. But his words
are what will be remembered. I wish Erdogan had criticized Peres
in a more diplomatic language, saying something like, ‘Mr. Peres,
you’re a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, so it’s improper of you to
defend blood and death,’ and then left the panel. This way Turkey
would have won the heart of Middle Eastern nations and the praise
of the international community, and people like Mizrahi would have
nothing to say, and there would be no unfair accusations against
Turkey. Leaders should be careful and control their reactions so as
not to cause unfair accusations against their countries."