This blog’s question seems outlandish given that Turkish-Israeli relations were very good until a few years ago when the new Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan moved Turkey away from its secular Islamic heritage and away from what had looked like a budding alliance with the Israelis. However, it now appears that the confrontation between the Israelis and the fleet bringing “humanitarian supplies” to Hamas in Gaza was arranged by Turkey to create a crisis with Israel.
In terms of background on this issue, I urge all readers to examine the first link below (from the Wall Street Journal). It reveals that under Erdogan, the Turkish media has been spewing out some of the most villainous anti-Israeli and anti-American propaganda that could be presented short of war. It seems to be programming the Turkish population to hate both the Israelis and Americans. The “blood libel” and bizarre allegations against Israel and the USA by Turkish media are almost too weird to believe. Turkey desperately needs a new government that restores the Ataturk tradition to Turkish policy, but Erdogan’s political opposition is weak so no change in government is foreseeable. My thanks to a reader for sending me this first link.
The second link reports that another ship with Hamas-sympathizers is now in Turkey and it may be sent to try and break the blockade imposed on Gaza by both Israel and Egypt. It reports that the Israelis fear the Turks will send Turkish naval vessels and warplanes to escort the Hamas-friendly ship into Gaza. If this happens, Israel and Turkey will have a military confrontation. Since Egypt has also been blockading Gaza in cooperation with the Israelis, on whose side will Egypt be in this confrontation? Turkey has been acting more like an Iranian ally lately, and if Turkey escorts a Hamas ship to Gaza, Turkey will openly have chosen sides with Iran.
An all-out war between Turkey and Israel seems extremely unlikely. Turkey would certainly lose such a war because it has no nuclear weapons and the Israelis do. If Turkey openly sides with Iran and Hamas, it is hard to see how Turkey could possibly stay in NATO or the EU. If the Turkish military actually sides with Hamas in a shooting confrontation, and the Egyptian navy joins the Israeli navy to maintain the blockade of Gaza, we will see a major realignment of alliances in the Mideast. This would have been impossible to imagine a short time ago, but now a Turkish alliance with Iran and Syria is now a real possibility. If Turkey betrays the West and NATO loses Turkey, the NATO nations will have to get very serious very quickly about a major rearmament program as Turkey has one of the biggest armies in NATO.
The third link reports that Turkish generals are already drawing up war plans vs. Israel, and the final link reports that French sources are revealing that someone just assassinated the top Iranian military leader in Damascus who was there, no doubt, to coordinate Iran’s war plans against Israel by Syria and Hezbollah. These links also offer a number of other related links which confirm just how quickly Israeli-Turkish relations are deteriorating.
Let’s hope this blows over, but the situation is heading downhill and a major war in the Mideast seems inevitable unless things are defused soon. Iran wants the war, it must be remembered, so its “Hidden Imam” (a theorized Shiite messiah) can come forth. Don’t forget God’s promise in Zechariah 12:3. He has guaranteed the survival of Judah (the Israeli nation) in the latter days. I’ve been to the Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. When the Israeli Jews say “never again,” they mean it. The Israelis have no desire whatsoever to use nuclear weapons on anyone, but if they have to do so in order to survive a major war, I have no doubt they will use those weapons. If a Turkish-Israeli war happened and looked like it might turn into an all-out war, the Turkish military (which has historically favored an alliance with Israel and has long supported the Ataturk heritage that Erdogan is now trampling) could even overthrow the Erdogan government.
There are many variables, and we are now facing another “rumor of war” (Matthew 24:6). Here’s hoping an actual Israeli-Turkish war does not happen.
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748704875604575281392195250402-lMyQjAxMTAwMDAwMzEwNDMyWj.html
http://www.debka.com/article/8829/
http://www.debka.com/article/8828/
http://www.debka.com/article/8821/
