They Are Telling Turkey to “Hands Up, Surrender!”..

The Hamas attack has been compared to “Israel's 9/11.”

Do you remember what the US President at the time, Bush, said following that attack? He said, “This is a crusade.” Subsequently, Iraq was invaded under the pretext that it was “producing chemical weapons.”

During the invasion of Libya alongside NATO forces, the then-French Interior Minister announced that the then-President Sarkozy was leading a “crusade.”

When it came to Syria, no one used the term “crusade”; however, imperialism's plans to divide Syria into three were laid bare.

Why were these things done? As a requirement of the Greater Middle East Project (GMEP), to eliminate forces in the region that could stand against Israel.

Coming to the present day, we have once again encountered the “crusade” mentality. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who frequently met with Erdoğan during the Trump era, used the “carrot-and-stick” method, and played a leading role in the rescue of Pastor Brunson, spoke as follows: “We are in a religious war. I am on Israel's side. Do whatever you have to do to protect yourselves. Level the place.”

Furthermore, he placed all responsibility for the Hamas attacks on Iran, stating, “It is time for Iran to pay the price for financing terror.”

Let us continue by noting that MHP Leader Devlet Bahçeli also made the assessment the other day regarding Israel's attacks on Gaza that “a new spirit of a Crusade, which has been initiated since the year 927, is being born.”

It is crystal clear that Iran is now in the crosshairs of the “crusaders.” How do we know?

From US President Biden's warning to Iran in the very first days to “Be careful.” From Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu telling his soldiers, “Are you ready for the next stage?” after his words, “Our response to Hamas will change the Middle East completely.” And from the start of operations to expand the front.

Syria and Lebanon are being struck, and it is as if Iran is being told, “Come on, come on.” Iran is also openly declaring that “it will be forced to intervene if the attacks on Gaza continue.”

IRAN IN THE CROSSHAIRS

Of course, Iran being a target is not a matter of today; it has been on the agenda since the GMEP - and linked to Turkey at that. How so?

For example, while plans to bring Israel closer to NATO and the EU, prepared in 2005, were being discussed in 2008 at a hearing titled “Europe and Israel: Towards Membership” by the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, it was stated: “Today, the threat to the West is represented by Jihadism or Islamist terrorism... NATO must now be the primary tool in the war against the global jihad threat... Israel's security is not only threatened by its neighbors; there are new stateless powers; radical fanatic organizations. Iran is another example... No stronger signal could be sent to Tehran than Israel's admission to NATO.”

Those plans also put Israel's EU and NATO membership on the table; it was discussed that a different model should be considered for Turkey, whose EU membership was becoming increasingly difficult, and that this model should also be considered for Israel. Likewise, while it was decided that Israel would become a member of NATO in the long term, it was envisioned that changes would be made to NATO's decision-making mechanism—presumably to eliminate the possibility of Turkey vetoing it.

Another reminder; Condoleezza Rice, the person who first officially announced the GMEP and was later appointed as US Secretary of State, made the following assessments after the 2007 elections in our country:

“Turkey is now entering a period of internal renewal and growth. A period is beginning in which it will assume greater responsibilities in foreign policy... Turkey's connection with the US in 2008, as a neighbor to Iraq, Iran, and Syria, will become much more important. Turkey is of critical importance for our interests in the Greater Middle East. We need Turkish officials to be participants in responding to the strategic challenges in this part of the world... We are uncomfortable with the gas agreement signed between Iran and Turkey. It is not the time to do business with Iran, as always... We believe our strategic alliance with Turkey regarding Iran is solid.”

After all of this, we saw the following:

The AKP government approved Israel's OECD membership in 2010... In 2016, it accepted Israel's opening of a representative office at NATO, which it had vetoed in 2011.

WHOSE SIDE ARE THE EU AND NATO ON?

If you ask, “What does Israel have to do with NATO, of which Turkey is a member, and the EU, which it sees as a ‘civilization project’?”;

While NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, “Israel is not alone” after the Hamas attack on October 7, when European Commission President Von der Leyen, who held a moment of silence for Israel along with Commission members, was asked whether they would hold a moment of silence for those killed in Gaza, she replied, “I don't think so, they are Muslim.”

Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas also declared that all 27 EU countries together defended Israel's right to self-defense, and issued the following call to Turkey:

“Turkey must choose its side. Will it be on the side of the EU, NATO, and their values? Or will they support Russia, Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah? They should decide which side of history they want to be on. They must have a clear answer on this.”

DID TURKEY CALL HAMAS A “TERRORIST ORGANIZATION”?

Last week, there was a NATO Defense Ministers meeting in Brussels. When it was announced that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant would also participate via video conference in the meeting where Turkey was represented by Minister Yaşar Güler, the pro-government newspaper Yeni Şafak ran the headline, “What will you discuss with this murderer?”

However, that “murderer” participated in the meeting within the scope of the “NATO Mediterranean Dialogue” program and officially engaged in Israeli propaganda.

After the meeting, while Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen announced that they were pressuring Turkey to approve Sweden's NATO membership, the British Reuters Agency put forward another claim.

According to this; Turkey displayed an oppositional stance at the meeting by opposing the condemnation of Hamas's attack on Israel as a “terrorist act.”

Yet, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had said, “All allies are in solidarity with Israel.”

While the Turkish delegation at NATO or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made no comment on this matter, National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, speaking to Turkish journalists stationed in Brussels, only said the following regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict:

“A separate session was held in which Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a member of NATO's 'Mediterranean Dialogue' partnership mechanism, also participated via video conference. Our stance is very clear both in our own fight against terrorism and in all wars and conflicts in our region. We condemn all kinds of actions against civilians and all kinds of attacks targeting civilian settlements.”

After explaining that Minister Güler “discussed the work and plans carried out to strengthen the alliance's defense and deterrence structure” at the meeting, and that they expressed that Turkey expects “full support from our allies” in the fight against “PKK/YPG, FETÖ, DAESH, Al-Qaeda, and all other terrorist organizations,” he noted the following:

“As Turkey, we will continue to make significant and important contributions to NATO and the security of the Euro-Atlantic region, as we have in the past, today, and in the future.”

So, it seems that despite NATO's clearly pro-Israel stance, there was no rift, and our commitment to NATO continues and will continue exactly as it is!..

Returning to the issue regarding HAMAS at the NATO meeting; yesterday, a pro-government newspaper columnist stated that the claim was “a rumor spread to smear Turkey,” and that, in fact, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg “very clearly stated that they condemned the attack by the terrorist organization Hamas on behalf of all allies,” and made the following assessment:

“If Turkey had objected to such expressions before NATO, it would have objected to the statement made by the NATO Secretary General on behalf of all member countries, and would have expressed its protest after the statement was made... Turkey never objected to Stoltenberg's statement.”

Well, if it is true, doesn't this stance mean that Turkey has also officially called Hamas a “terrorist organization”?!

To sum up; unfortunately, due to both the weakness caused by the “one-man regime” in our state system and the economic crisis, we are in such a state that imperialism is saying “Hands up, surrender,” and Turkey is rapidly being dragged toward the “final moment of decision”!..

Müyesser YILDIZ

October 16, 2023