Sabre-rattling with Turkey should be avoided
Deputy prime minister says Turkey, in its demand that Israel abide by international law, must itself adhere to it and not challenge the Gaza blockade which the UN has declared legal.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday set the stage for a potential naval confrontation, declaring that Turkish warships would escort future convoys to the Gaza Strip.
Ankara downgraded diplomatic relations and vowed to boost naval patrols in the eastern Mediterranean after Israel refused to apologize for the deaths of nine Turks in a commando raid on the Mavi Marmara as it tried to breach the blockade of Gaza."Turkey, which claims that Israel is not above international law, needs to understand that neither is it (above international law). A UN committee has determined that the blockade is legal," he said.
Debka takes a look at this situation:
Erdogan drives toward armed clash with Israel. Oil and gas at stake
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan this week coolly moved his country step by provocative step towards an armed clash with Israel – not just over the Palestinian issue, but because he covets the gas and oil resources of the eastern Mediterranean opposite Israel's shores.
Thursday night, Sept. 8, he announced that Turkish warships will escort any Turkish aid vessels for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. In his remarks to Al Jazeera television, the Turkish prime minister also said he had taken steps "to stop Israel from unilaterally exploiting natural resources from the eastern Mediterranean."
If Turkish ships breach the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza, which a UN report last week pronounced legitimate under international law, Erdogan will become the first Muslim leader to embark on military action in the Palestinian cause.
The Arab nations which fought Israel time after time in the past will be made to look ineffectual and the Turkish leader the regional big shot. Even Iran would be put in the shade for never daring to provoke Israel the way Turkey has.
This isn't surprising. The gas and oil finds in Israeli waters is enormous and would have significant long term effects on the economy. As stated before, wars have been fought over far less. Debka has more:
Erdogan plans to send his warships into this water for two missions:
1. To split the Israel's small Navy into two heads – one for sustaining the blockade against Gaza and one for safeguarding the gas and oil rigs opposite its shores.
2. To scare Israel into the full or partial stoppage of its offshore oil and gas operations, thereby robbing it of energy power status and substantial economic gains.
And this:
Erdogan is determined never to let Israel overshadow Turkey in the regional stakes and will put a stop to the Jewish state's progress – even if military aggression is called for.
DEBKAfile's military sources report that the Turkish prime minister is resolved to corner Israel into an inescapable military confrontation. It might not happen at once or even within a week, but it will happen a lot sooner than many Israeli politicians and military chiefs imagine because he is using Israel as his ticket to regional prestige.
Also from the Epicenter:
Palestinian snipers fire at community near Gaza
Palestinian snipers opened fire from the Gaza Strip towards Nativ Haasara, south of Ashkelon, Friday morning.
Residents of the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council were instructed to stay indoors after the incident.
And the day wouldn't be complete without hearing from Ahmadinejad:
Ahmadinejad: World changing to favor Palestinians
World opinion is changing in favor of the Palestinian cause and Israel is on its way to collapse, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told head of Hamas political bureau Khaled Mashaal in a phone conversation on Saturday evening, according to IRNA news agency.
Mashaal expressed gratitude for the support and said that Palestinian resistance will continue until they reach their ultimate goal.
Ahmadinejad's comments echo a statement he made weeks ago that the creation of a universally-recognized Palestinian state would be just a first step towards wiping out Israel.
Restating a position expressed soon after taking office in 2005 that Israel was a "tumor" to be wiped off the map, he urged Palestinians not to settle for a two-state solution that is backed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas but to strive for a complete return of what they consider their land.
"Recognizing the Palestinian state is not the last goal. It is only one step forward towards liberating the whole of Palestine,"
How many times have we see that last quote by Israel's enemies?
We see these quotes over and over from a variety of Muslim leaders in the Middle East - quotes that are quite easily found in the daily news, but somehow the Quartet members, the MSM, Tony Blair, et al keep missing these news quotes. The fact that a "PA State" is only an interim step in the overall progress towards the total destruction of Israel seems to be an "inconvenient fact" that is to be ignored.
The world continues to line up against Israel exactly as foretold by God's prophets. What we are now seeing in the Epicenter is exactly what we would expect to see. We shouldn't be surprised nor alarmed.
As Jesus stated in the Olivet Discourse:
"...but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen..."
Indeed. Such things must happen - and they certainly are. Just as we have been forewarned.
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