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US mulls relations with Turkey
Yitzhak Benhorin
Published: 14.08.10, 11:00
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24 Talkbacks for this article
1. turkey must stay strong in the face of american pressure!
Ariel Sharon ,   former PM   (08.14.10)
2. Proposal: Demand of Turkey to acknowledge and apologize for.
Jehudah Ben-Israel ,   Qatzrin, Israel   (08.14.10)
...the genocide inflicted upon the Armenian people. Demand to Turkey to acknowledge and apologize for the mass murder - including recently through the use of chemical weapons - of hundreds of thousands of Kurdish people, within and without Turkey. Demand of Turkey to acknowledge and apologize for the illegal invasion of Cyprus and the expelling of many thousands of ethnic Greek Cypriots from their homes and properties. Demand of Turkey to acknowledge and apologize for the sending the Struma ship full of Jewish refugees into the high seas, only to have it sunk and with it thousands of men, women and children. Demand of Turkey to acknowledge its illegal role in attempting to break the lawful blockade of Gaza, as a result of which Turkey caused the injury of many and the death of nine. And expect of Turkey to abandon its drive to collaborate with countries such as Iran, Syria and North Korea. Then America can talk about improving relationships with this Muslim state.
3. Turkey should abandon all Agreements with USA& it is enemy
Tayfun_Turkey ,   Istanbul   (08.14.10)
USA is enemy state Turkey must severe all ties USA supports PKK terrorist, arms them, train them Turkish soldiers are killed by American arms and all PKK terrrorist does not use Kalashnikoffs any more but US M16 riffles USA is a zionist tool and enemy to all Turkic states.
4. #2 Questions
M Wohlberg ,   Baltimore   (08.14.10)
Wasn't the Struma trying to illegally break the lawful blockade of Palestine that the British imposed? Also when you say... "only to have it sunk and with it thousands of men, women and children" don't you mean 770 men, women and children?
5. @ #3
Johan van den Top ,   the Netherlands   (08.14.10)
And you should know better, since your army used chemical weapons against the PKK, deporting christians, supporting terrorists heading for gaza etc. So much for a democracy huh?
6. # 4 I stand corrected. Hundreds of men, women and children
Jehudah Ben-Israel ,   Qatzrin, Israel   (08.14.10)
ended up sinking and not thousands as I initially wrote in error. The human refugees from burning Europe in which the Jewish people systematically lost a third of its size were refugees who, legally could have and should have been taken in by any country, including Turkey, Britain or any other country. This, not because they were Jewish but because they were refugees, seeking a piece of soil on which to stand. Neither Britain nor Turkey was about to make this gesture, and they didn't do so precisely because the men, women and children aboard were Jews...!!
7. #3 Tayfun_Turkey
Albrecht Klein ,   Germany   (08.14.10)
I give you a hint: EU is also a zionist enemy state, so you should stop your membership application immediately.
8. U.S " MULLS ' RELATIONS
LAWRENCE RAP ARTISTE ,   SAFED ISRAEL   (08.14.10)
Mull of Kintyre , Oh mists rolli' in from the sea I desire ....
9. All indications are that Turkey, or at least its
Petra ,   On the road, EU   (08.14.10)
present government would do all that it can to avoid being part of the EU and apparently to be expelled from NATO. In addition, as is already happening, many countries will gradually stop trading with Turkey and it will have to rely eventually on the markets provided by its newly found friends of Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and North Korea. I feel sorry for the man in the street in Turkey, for the farmer and the industrial worker, but after all, thee are the people who brought this government to power and help maintaining it there. Bye, Bye Turkey!
10. US mulls relations with Turkey
Dennis ,   Manchester UK   (08.14.10)
#4 Rabbi, this is a confusing post: are you drawing some kind of equivalence to the Gaza Flotilla and the Struma incidences? If so please explain your reasoning. The impression from your post is one of support for the Turkish position which seems at variance from your own blog. Perhaps I misunderstand?
11. turkey
celine l. ,   vienna, austria   (08.14.10)
erdiogan is trying to sit on 2 chairs with one butt---doesn't work. he needs the west more then the west needs turkey.
12. # 6 you seem to forget that...
M Wohlberg ,   Baltimore   (08.14.10)
Turkey took in Jewish refugees from Poland, Hungary and Romania in 1937 and didn't Britain take in about 10,000 Jewish children in 1939? Also didn't Ben-Gurion say...."If I knew that it was possible to save all the children of Germany by transporting them to England, and only half by transferring them to the Land of Israel, I would choose the latter"?
13. # 12
Jehudah Ben-Israel ,   Qatzrin, Israel   (08.14.10)
Since the discussion here is Turkey and its relationship to other countries and societies, with all due respect, I would focus only on Turkey. In this context my post, #2 still stands: Let the Turks acknowledge and apologize to the world for the destruction and deaths with which they inflicted so many societies if Turkey wishes to remain part of the civilized world.
14. Not US nor Israel are in position to impose anything on Turk
Moise   (08.14.10)
s, USA is broke with a dwingling influence, Israel is in worst position. Its quite the opposit, USA and Israel are in dire need for Turkey's goodwill. I suggest to the moroned congressman and woman to shove it and be thankfull to have Turkey in their side...., For now!!!
15. Israel is dragging the US down the tubre again.
Sam   (08.14.10)
16. The US will never push Turkey to the Russian or Chınese camp
Ibrahım ,   Ankara Turkey   (08.14.10)
Turkey is not the easily controlable de facto colony of the US. It has shown this on many occassions. Remember how the US ships were sent back home during the most recent Iraq war. Remember how access to the Black Sea was denied by Turkey during the Russian-Georgian war? Turkey is vital for US interests in the ME, Balkans and Central Asia. The US Generals are not stupid. It´s politıcıans can mull all ıt wants.
17. # 4 M Wohlberg
J.K. ,   Brooklyn USA   (08.14.10)
The blockade, banning Jews to enter, than palestine by England was illegal ,because it violated the Balfour declaration to create a Jewish homeland in than Palestine,and was accepted by the League of nations on July 24.1922, England's reversal of the Balfour declaration was despicable, with a little good will England could have allowed the persecuted Jews of Europe to settle in it's vast Empire,remember, the Jews on the Struma did not look to improve their life,but to save their life.Concerning Turkey,it's a mix bag on one hand turkey saved a lot of Jews from the Germans in Europe,and was willing to provide temporary shelter to the Jews till some nation would take them in,(which did not happen) Who knows,if the Struma was not sunk by a Russian U boat,a solution could have been found,on the other hand turkey under Inenu imposed the infamousVarlik Vergisi tax (wealth Tax) on none Islamic citizens of Turkey Jews,Greeks,Armenians,and whoewer couldn't pay it was send to a concentration camp.Today Turkey under Erdogan is heading toward a nationalistic islamic swamp.
18. Turkey
Delors ,   Europe   (08.14.10)
Without our help and the help of the EEC your great country will collapse. Do you know how many turkish people are living in our countries? What will happen if they would have to leave our countries and come back to Turkey?
19. Iran Says "Thank You" Again
Arik Silverman ,   Milwaukee USA   (08.14.10)
Perhaps these US Senators are looking for campaign contributions. How else explain efforts that can only drive Turkey closer to Iran. Don't they read the news? Only a day or two ago a Turk said his country needs Iran more than the US -- that it gets oil from Iran but gets nothing from the US.
20. huh?
mehmet ,   istanbul   (08.15.10)
Republican senators oppose appointment of designated Ankara ambassador alluding to need for debate on dwindling relations with "Islamic state." An Islamic state is a state that has adopted Islam, specifically Sharia, as its foundations for political institutions, or laws, exclusively, and has implemented the islamic ruling system khilafah Turkey is a secular state since it's foundation 90 years ago. Are these "errors" made deliberately or editors are so grossly ignorant?
21. #12 Turks only took some select German Jews
David Israel ,   New York, USA   (08.15.10)
About 200 hundred professors who were used to open new faculties at the young Turkish universities. Among them a Doctor Nielsen was our family doctor. He was so disillusioned with what happened afterward that he later migrated to Switzerland. What happened was that in 1941 Turkey passed a tax law called Varlik Vergis and under this law confiscated all the wealth from the Jews and Ar,enians. Those whou could not pay the unfair and exorbitant taxes, their homes and all the furniture, pots and pans were taken and the man of the house sent to a labor camp in askale. Young Jewish man also were sent a another labor camp in Afyon under the guise of 20th draft military service. The record of Turkey is mixed when it comed to WW II. Some righteous Turkish diplomats saved some Jews from Rhodes and Marseilles while the passenger of the Struma were literally sent to death. On the other hand the passengers in the Parita that had spend about 10 days in the bay of Izmir (During that time the passengers were not allowed on shore and my father was among those who carried food by row boasts to them) eventually sailed and made it to Israel.
22. Mehmet - is Turkey still secular?
David Israel ,   New York, USA   (08.15.10)
As we all know so far from a legal point of view is a secular republic. This was never disputed until about 8 years ago. However You must think very well about thiss phenomenon that since AKP came into power the secular nature of Turkey has been a matter of discussions, while Turkey started to be considered a moderate Islamic nation around the world the AKP government never disputed this in fact they welcomed the Islamic attribute. So Mehmet think well? Under these circumstances is Turkey still a secular country?
23. Yes David
mehmet ,   istanbul   (08.15.10)
It is secular without the "still". Turkey is constitutionally and practically a secular republic, while the west has christian democratic parties, tend to side with christians in global conflicts and many western leaders emphasize the importance of christendom in their institutions such as EU or have had die hard chritians such as Bush or Merkel in power noone questions if these countries will soon go back to a Spanish inquisition style medieval regime however it is the Islamophobia that makes people think the slightest Islamic concern will make Turkey an Islamist state or another Iran, it is merely the lack of knowledge of Turkish politics and the Turkish society. More importantly the "islamic state" phrase in this article is not an interpretation but a direct statement, and it is false and misleading.
24. Mehmet I would still tell you to be careful
David Israel ,   New York, USA   (08.15.10)
While there ar Christian democratic parties in Europe the status is different. Fir example in Christian Germany there are Muslim Turks in the parliament many of them Turkish origin. How many none Muslims are there in Turkish TBMM. There was the son of Jak Kamhi but he was married to a Muslim and it was a rare exception. In Europe no bdy is thrown out at a river for not obeying a Christian holiday but in Turkey under AKP a man was thrown into the river for smoking on Ramadan. and the examples are plenty.
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