Lieberman says Israel won't be Turkey 'punching bag'

[TomClash]

Turkey is to blame for the crisis in relations between Israel and Ankara, and the Jewish state will not become a Turkish "punching bag," Israel's foreign minister said on Thursday.

In a commentary published in the English-language Jerusalem Post, Avigdor Lieberman accused Ankara of anti-Israel incitement, and warned the situation in Turkey reminded him of Iran just before the Islamic revolution.

Ties between the two countries frayed to near breaking point after Israeli naval commandos killed nine Turkish activists during a raid last year on a flotilla of aid ships trying to breach the blockade on the Gaza Strip.

But Lieberman said the tensions predated that incident, and were manufactured by the Turkish government.

<snip>

"Unfortunately, recent events in Turkey are reminiscent of Iran before the Islamic Revolution," he wrote.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jQvyJ1tFdbqqHRQzM6XlsY98Cp4A?docId=CNG.965768fcbb0bb828e435dda5242922f3.391

[daa]

1. There is one way to cut the deficit wasted money

for Lieberman

[azurnoir]

2. It's Avigdor not Joe lieberman n/t

[daa]

5. That's who I meant

no more money to build illegal settelments.

[bemildred]

3. What an awesome diplomat.

:sarcasm:

[hayu_lol]

4. There is a lot of intense pressure in the region...

right now as the major players(Turkey/Iran)jockey for a leadership position that both countries have historically held. The minor players, Syria and Lebanon et al, are snuggling up to whichever country they see as the emerging winner.

My opinion, for what its worth, is that Israel is being used as the smokescreen behind which all this manipulation is taking place. No one seems to care much about the Iraqi Kurds who are under almost constant attacks/pressure from Turkey and Iran(attacking into Iraq). The bellicose bellowing coming out of Iran(much like that of N Korea)is more keeping the pressure up against Turkey than anything else.

The Palestinians? They need a very strong major group to totally take charge of both the WB and Gaza, then go for independent statehood. Splinter groups can never accomplish anything in this area.

[eyl]

10. To be fair,

his Turkish counterpart isn't really all that much better - he remarked (can't find an English source, sorry) that while Turkey had decided on sending aid to Israel in the recent fire within minutes, it would have taken Israel days to do likewise (the Turks of all people should know better, given that Israel has already sent a couple of humanitarian missions there in the past after earthquakes). Erdogan wasn't exactly diplomatic either in his gradual demolition of Israeli-Turkish relations starting in the beginning of 2009 (see the Dabos conference, for example).

[bemildred]

11. So we have a race to the bottom then?

Nuttyahoo is doing one heckuva job.

[aranthus]

6. Not that I agree with Lieberman on much of anything, but

in this case he's more right than wrong. The breakdown in relations is due to Turkey moving closer to the Islamists. There wouldn't have been a Gaza convoy but for that.

[azurnoir]

7. so Free Gaza would not exist without Turkey moving closer to 'Islamists'

thanks for clarifying

[aranthus]

8. There wouldn't have been a convoy from Turkey with the conivance of the Turkish government. n/t

[azurnoir]

9. The convoy was from 'Free Gaza' the Turkish government had little to do with it n/t