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October 27, 2011

Go Turks

So nice of Turkey to accept Israeli aid sent in the wake of the massive earthquake that hit Turkey on Sunday, don't you think?

But hold off on the exuberance for now, as Turkey's Foreign Minister just announced it won't make a lickety-spit of a difference. That is, Israeli aid won't change Turkey's "principled position" towards Israel.

What principled position, you might ask? The one over Israel's refusal to apologize for the raid on that blockade-busting Gaza-bound "aid" flotilla. You know, the flotilla with the knife-wielding, club-beating peace activists on board, who were only looking to bring some missiles to the missile-deprived kids of Gaza.

Nevertheless, kudos to the Turkish government for deciding to suck it in and accept help from the Israelis. True, it's only certain kind of help (e.g., shipments of portable structures for Turkish survivors who lost homes in the quake), as Turkey won't accept Israel's assistance in rescuing victims from the wreckage. But, hey, accepting some help is better than accepting no help, right?

So you go, Turks! And bravo to Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and his government for putting their righteous indignation ahead of their people. That'll show those Israelis!

Haaretz.com  |  October 27, 2011

Turkey: Israel earthquake aid won't ease diplomatic tension Turkish
FM Ahmet Davutoglu says Israeli shipment of prefabricated houses to quake-stricken area do not change Ankara's 'principled' demands from Israeli government.

By Haaretz

Israeli aid sent to Turkey in wake of a massive earthquake that struck the country will not alleviate tense ties between the two countries, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu indicated on Thursday.

On Tuesday, Turkey accepted aid from Israel for the first time since the 7.2 earthquake struck the country's east, after rejecting several offers by top Israeli officials.

Israeli_aid_to_Turkish_to_earthquake_victims.jpg
Israeli aid being sent to Turkey in wake of the 7.2 earthquake, October 26,
2011. Photo by: Hadar Cohen

The first Israeli aid convoy that includes seven portable structures, departed Wednesday afternoon from Israel to the eastern Turkish area affected by the quake.

The structures are meant to provide refuge to survivors who lost their homes in the natural disaster.

The aid agreement comes as a rare positive moment in an otherwise stressed Israel-Turkey relationship, one that has taken a dramatic turn for the worse in recent months over Israel's 2010 raid of a Turkish Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

Last month, Turkey downgraded its diplomatic relations with Israel following Jerusalem's refusal to apologize for the incident. However, speaking to Turkey's Today's Zaman newspaper on Thursday, the Turkish FM indicated that Ankara's acceptance of Israeli aid did not signal an improvement in diplomatic ties, saying it would not change its "principled position."

Speaking with his Jordanian counterpart, Davutoglu was quoted by Today's Zaman as saying that "political conditions remain," referring to Turkey's demand that Israel formally apologize for the 2010 raid, and that Israel lift its blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

The structures Israel has sent Turkey are meant to provide refuge to survivors who lost their homes in the natural disaster, with Jerusalem planning to send additional temporary structures in the coming days. Turkey, however, has refused to accept Israeli assistance in rescuing victims from the wreckage.

Turkish authorities delivered more tents after acknowledging initial problems in the distribution of aid for survivors of the 7.2-magnitude quake that shattered at least 2,200 buildings on Sunday.

Original article here.


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