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Turkey/US rift deepens as flotilla organisers and Erdogan party branded supporters of terrorists


The Egyptians and the Americans are worried. Turkey is now cast in heroic light in the Arab world, while Egypt is reviled as the state that collaborates with Israel and the US in strangling Gaza. The US, exhibiting the typical paranoia of the tyrant, doesn't understand why erstwhile allies are turning against them. US foreign policy people can't get it into their heads that it is their policies in the Middle East that is pushing Turkey, and other countries, away - not some dastardly Islamist plot in Istanbul.

According to the New York Times up to 10 members of the ruling Justice and Development were going to be on the Mavi Marmara but were warned off by senior government officials, although the thrust of the article, headlined 'Sponsor of flotilla tied to elite of Turkey', is how Turkish prime minister Erdogan has benefited from the murderous Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla. What the article fails to grasp is that the Turkish ruling class is also hermetically tied through the military and big business to the West, be it the US or Europe.

There are undoubtedly strains within the Turkish state but western commentators shouldn't fear 'losing' Turkey just yet. What they need to start worrying about is the people on the streets, but Erdogan will do his best to prevent the developing solidarity movement growing over into a challenge to the ruling elite, despite his differences with the army and the 'secularists'. And besides, Turkey's rulers still have the Kurds to oppress, at home and abroad. In addition, Israel will hope that the threat of it helping the Kurds against Turkey will be enough to curtail this supposed turn to the East by Ankara and what they see as Erdogan playing to the gallery in the run up to important elections.

The Humanitarian Relief Foundation, which spearheaded the organisation of the flotilla, is now seen by Israel and Washington as a supporter of 'terrorism' because of its humanitarian work in Palestine. This obviously creates a problem with NATO ally Turkey; even more so, as the Times is eager to point, given the charity's links to the ruling party. Turkey needs to stand fast in the face of Israel's lies about any and all organisations providing political, financial or humanitarian support to the people of Gaza.
“We are not trying to disengage ourselves from I.H.H. because of the current allegations on their terror links — we are simply not related with them,” the official said. “We consider Israeli efforts to link I.H.H. with terror in light of fake intelligence reports and hence hold AK Party government responsible for the killing of nine innocent people as extremely cheap and improper tactics.” more

Indeed the US has passed a law that allows the state to imprison anyone who offers 'material support' to terrorists. Should we expect the prime minister of Turkey to be rendered to a dark site somewhere in deepest eastern Europe sometime soon?

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