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The Grand Turk

Turkey: Warships will back next flotilla

2011-09-09

Turkish warships will escort any Turkish aid vessels to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with Al-Jazeera television on Thursday.

"Turkish warships, in the first place, are authorized to protect our ships that carry humanitarian aid to Gaza," Erdogan said in the interview. "From now on, we will not let these ships to be attacked by Israel, as what happened with the Freedom Flotilla."

Erdogan also said that Turkey has taken steps to "stop Israel from unilaterally exploiting natural resources from the eastern Mediterranean."

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor responded to the Turkish premier' statement by saying: "This is a statement well-worth not commenting on."

Posted by:Flereque Phavirt9448

#22 WAFF > ISRAEL SAYS TURKEY NAVAL THREAT
"SERIOUS", BUT WILL RESPOND WID SILENCE.

versus

* SAME > ATTACK ON CYPRUS WILL BE AN ATTACK ON GREECE | [Defence.net.GR = Deputy Greek PM] PANGOLOS: "IFF TURKEY ATTACKS CYPRUS, GREECE WILL FIGHT"!?

Israeli PM NETANYAHU = ISRAELI AIR FORCE, NAVY are two "main hands" Israel has in the Eastern Mediterranean which any foreign state wid hostile intent should give proper consideration.

BENJI FORGOT TO SAY "ISRAEL ALSO HAS PLENTY OF NUKES", DIDN'T WE???

IMO Turkey will indeed fight Israel + Greece oer CYPRUS, but not as per GAZA???

versus

* NEWS KERALA > ABBAS: ITS "TOO LATE" FOR THE US TO STOP PALESTINIANS FROM APPLYING FOR UN MEMBERSHIP.

Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-09-09 23:34

#21 ION TOPIX > [Interview]ALIYEV: RISE OF TURKISH RADICALISM [vee historical secularism] A DIRECT TO AZERBAIJAN.

* SAME > WIKILEAKS: ALIYEV ACCUSES TURKEY OF EXPORTING RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM TO AZERBAIJAN.

* SAME > ALIYEV SAYS EUROS/EU "TOO PASSIVE" IN RESPONDING TO ISLAMIC THREAT TO TURKEY.

* SAME > ISLAMIC RADICALS [worldwide]COMPETING FOR LEAD TO ANNIHILATE ISRAEL.

IMO read, POTUS BAMMER = USA TO LEAD EFFORT TO SAVE BOTH ISRAEL + NATO ALLY TURKEY???

Turkey aiding + abetting its own future destruction ala Radical Islam = MORE SOVEREIGN NUCPROGS FOR THE HARD BOYZ TO [legally = electorally] ACQUIRE???

Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-09-09 21:51

#20 This a check to Israel as well to Obama.
If Obama does nothing this means the end of USA influence in Middle East, it is also one more break of trust between USA and one of its allies
and it will mean the end of Obama presidency.

Israel can't resist Turkey power short of Nukes because Israel doesn't have resources to last long
without outside help. Turkey have 10 times Israeli population.
Of course that doesn't mean the attacks against Turkey will not spread everywhere.

Posted by: Chomosing Hupimp6046 2011-09-09 21:13

#19 ..or remind them of their [sarc on] sterling support during the operation to remove Saddam. [sarc off]. Tell them to expect the same in return.

Posted by: Procopius2k 2011-09-09 19:31

#18 Their navy really is nothing more than a coastal defense force

I dunno. We are talking a distance of 300 some miles, not exactly a blue water expedition. And, as someone pointed out here the other day, Turkey has quite the fleet of little submarines (yay, Rantburg U!). Turkey also has what seems to me a surprisingly large number of amphibious ships. You would think they are planning to storm a beach somewhere! Of course, equipment is one thing, capability is another, and the will to use it, a third.

On the other side of the board, the Juices have an experienced air force and a small handful of little subs armed with land attack missiles. Floating off the coast of Israel without air cover could be unpleasant.

In a perfect world, someone from NATO would quietly call his Turkish counterpart and explain why nothing good can come of this. Unfortunately, mass resignation seems to be the fashion of the day in the Turkish forces and Erdogan keeps writing ever larger checks with his mouth.

Seems to me this is one of those "this will get out of control and we will be lucky to live through the day" situations. Magic 8-Ball might be an optimist.

Posted by: SteveS 2011-09-09 18:46

#17 Erdogan also said that Turkey has taken steps to "stop Israel from unilaterally exploiting natural resources from the eastern Mediterranean."

I think that means he doesn't want the Juices helping
Greek Cyprus drill for oil/natural gas. Either that or they're supporting Lebano's claims against Israeli drilling.

Posted by: trailing wife 2011-09-09 17:19

#16 "So the Erdogan Regime believes that Israel has neither territorial waters nor an exclusive economic zone."

Like most of his co-religionists, he believes they shouldn't exist at all, EP. >:-(

Posted by: Barbara 2011-09-09 15:03

#15 Magic 8-Ball says, "Outlook not so good."

Why is America transferring it's highest military technology to this Caliph Suleiman wannabe?

Posted by: Eohippus Phater7165 2011-09-09 14:54

#14 Turkey likes to think of themselves as an empire still. Their navy really is nothing more than a coastal defense force and not really capable of projecting power.

Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2011-09-09 14:32

#13 Erdogan also said that Turkey has taken steps to "stop Israel from unilaterally exploiting natural resources from the eastern Mediterranean."

So the Erdogan Regime believes that Israel has neither territorial waters nor an exclusive economic zone.

Posted by: Flereque Phavirt9448 2011-09-09 14:08

#12 Another little Ahmadinejad. This will only escalate.
No longer in their interests to be an ally of Israel or USA.

Posted by: Dale 2011-09-09 12:32

#11 NATO is ok with this?

Posted by: trailing wife 2011-09-09 12:22

#10 Sure would be amusing for there to be a Jewish-run Constantinople.

(I know, never happen.)

Posted by: Rob Crawford 2011-09-09 11:03

#9 I wonder if the Turks are hoping Israel will attack and bring NATO in. The UN has already said the blockade is legal, so I think it would be a long shot.

Either way, Turkey is apparently itching for a war against the Jews. My money is still on Israel.

Posted by: DarthVader 2011-09-09 11:01

#8 They caught stuxnet in the power grid from the Iranians?

Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2011-09-09 10:54

#7 I'm all for the proactive approach. Remember when the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure (DGSE) sank the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in port in Auckland?

Unfortunately their agents were captured and ended up serving two years for arson, conspiracy to commit arson, willful damage, and murder, which is not that bad a deal, if you think about it. As well as the resignation of the French Defense Minister. Easy come, easy go.

But the end result was quite satisfactory. Greenpeace has never again pestered the French about *anything*, and it was also one in the eye to the obnoxious NZ government, that just loves to try an impose its opinions on other countries with the use of eco-proxies.

In this case, they had to spend a LOT of lettuce to get that ship up and that pier back in operation.

Now, in the Israelis shoes, I think I would use the "MacArthur method", and hit 'em where they ain't. That is, Erdogan is obviously bored and restless, so he needs some kind of annoying, if not lethal, disaster for him to fret about.

Something like a slow, but inevitable and unrepairable, dam break. With enough time to evacuate everyone downstream, but resulting in a major catastrophe, costing their economy many billions of dollars, hurting their energy grid, causing a drought, etc.

And absolutely no connection to Israel.

Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-09-09 10:42

#6 Underwater divers should be able to pop a small enough hole in the flotillas boats to force them to turn around and give plenty of time to evacuate people.

When all is said and done Turkey is saying they will go to war against Israel because that is what they are doing if their warships force a declared blockade. Israel should take that up with the UN and force a vote. Most powers would not want such a precedent and would be forced to vote with Israel. Or take it off line, slap the Turks about the head and neck, and force them to stop this idiocy.

Posted by: rjschwarz 2011-09-09 09:11

#5 Why not just tell them there are mines deployed?

I mean, just to see how serious they are!

Posted by: Bobby 2011-09-09 07:28

#4 Best solution might be for Israel to lay mines.

Posted by: BernardZ 2011-09-09 05:22

#3 Are the Turks really that stupid?

They elected an Islamic party, didn't they?

Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2011-09-09 04:59

#2 Are the Turks really that stupid? You send warships into a declared blockade and they even look like they are going to bother the ship inspections, you have a shooting incident that involves actual navies. And the Israelis do have some very good anti-shipping missile systems.

Posted by: shieldwolf 2011-09-09 01:11

#1 So use your subs ans sink the aid ships.

Posted by: Water Modem 2011-09-09 00:16

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