Israel Matzav

IHH sending another terror flotilla, this time accompanied by the Turkish military

The IHH terror organization - the same group that organized the 2010 'freedom flotilla' that ended in nine dead during an Israeli navy raid on the Mavi Marmara - says it is organizing another flotilla designed to break Israel's 'blockade' on Gaza, but this one will be protected by the Turkish military.

IHH chairman Bulent Yildrim was quoted by The Middle East Monitor as telling Gulf Online last week that the activists would set sail as soon as they receive the necessary permit from the authorities in Ankara and that the Turkish military would provide protection to the ship.

Diplomatic officials said Jerusalem was following the reports carefully, but stressed that it was not clear whether the flotilla would ultimately set sail.

So far there has only been a declaration of intent, with no firm date set, one official said.

Harold Rhode, a senior fellow at the New-York-based Gatestone Institute and a former adviser at the in the office of the American defense secretary on Islamic affairs, told The Jerusalem Post in an interview on Sunday that the real issue in the ongoing conflict is that Turkey and Qatar are supporting the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas in their goals.

“[Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdogan has been associated with the Muslim Brotherhood long before he was prime minister,” Rhode said.

It should now be clear to all that Erdogan “is now out of the bag,” Rhode said, adding that US President Barack Obama does not speak to the Turkish leader anymore despite previously describing him as one of his closest friends among the world’s leaders.

“Erdogan is doing whatever he can to help Hamas,” he said, asserting that it will only hurt the Palestinian people in the end.

Sorry but I'm nowhere near as optimistic as Rhode. I don't know whether Obama still talks to Erdogan or not, but the bottom line is that the United States has been serving Turkish interests in the 'cease fire' negotiations. As far as I'm concerned that's all that counts.

What could go wrong?

Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Bulent Yildirim, flotilla of fools, Gaza blockade, IHH, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish anti-Semitism, Turkish obsession with Israel

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:16 PM