Setting The Stage

Recep Tayyip Erdogan remains conflicted; uncertain whether he wants to fully commit to radical Islamists outside of his own Turkish ruling party, making common cause with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, with Iran and Qatar, or move closer to his NATO allies, hoping still that France will relent and ease the way for Turkey to join the European Union. Turkey straddles both worlds; Europe and the Middle East.

The country still values its relationship with the United States, burnishing its credentials as a trusted and respected ally. There was no question that Turkey leaned far more heavily on the Western traditions and its values since Kemal Ataturk separated its government from Islam, but Mr. Erdogan's Freedom and Justice party -- strange how all the Islamists on taking government give themselves such noble names -- has slowly changed all that.

But then, fundamentally, that famous old observation of a tiger not changing his stripes -- primarily because nature will not allow it -- holds as true for men as it does for other animals with which we share this globe. The Middle East, Arab tribalism, and Islamic traditions share a predisposition to value cunning and bravado, conquest and the celebration of 'honour'.

If an enemy relents, concedes, regrets, proffers apologies they are demonstrating a lack of courage, determination and honour, deserving of contempt. The apologies may be demanded, but no one expects them to be forthcoming. Instead what occurs is that the decibels of blame rise shrilly, each outdoing the other in accusations and demands for compensation. Blood money will do.

Martyrdom is glorified, a gift to god from anxious-to-please supplicants answering the noble call to jihad. The martyr may be a bloody butcher, taking the lives of countless innocents, but if the atrocity is committed in the name of jihad, it is elevated to heroic dimensions and memorials raised in praise of the noble sacrifice.

Turkey, through its Prime Minister, excoriated Israel as a demonic state of murderers for defending itself against Hamas in Gaza, a governing jihadist militia whose oft-stated purpose is the destruction of Israel. Turkey looks with huge disfavour on its own Kurdish population not wishing to destroy Turkey but to hive off a small portion of it for a state of their own to accommodate the largest ethnic group in the world without a country to call its own.

That Israel defends itself from Hamas's intentions by imposing a perfectly legal blockade to prevent Hamas from acquiring ever more arms and rockets that find their way over the border into Israel, seems to Mr. Erdogan an unforgivable offence against humanity. When Turkish thugs aboard the Mavi Marmora violently attacked casually armed IDF naval forces apprehending the ship quite legally, their deaths resulting from self-defence created the ultimate breach between Turkey and Israel.

Israel reacted with regret at losing an old ally. Turkey moved ever closer to Israel's enemies, damning Israel as a viral affront against Islam and all humanity. Turkey tried senior IDF personnel in absentia, it slandered Israel's government, it forged relationships it knew would harm Israel's security, it demanded an apology that must include blood money for the 9 Turkish thugs, full removal of the Gaza blockade and a fully chastened Israel before normalization of relations could ensue.

Under the Freedom and Justice Party and Prime Minister Erdogan, normalization reflects a chilling state of cold war. Following the initial jubilation when Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu obliged American President Barack Obama, as a courtesy pay-back for Mr. Obama's long-overdue  lecture to the PA's Mahmoud Abbas that the settlement pretense would no longer fly as an excuse to avoid the peace table, Mr. Erdogan indulged in his usual bitter claptrap.

Normalization could not advance until and unless Israel pays $1-million to each family of the Turkish thugs, and the Gaza blockade must be fully lifted to accommodate the human rights of Gazan Palestinians and just incidentally the malevolent plans of Hamas. Quite the bargain President Obama so thoughtfully arranged for his ally Israel to satisfy the needs of his ally Turkey.

Israel, having acceded to an apology, agreeing on compensation, and committing to some relaxation of the embargo on Gaza, for its troubles is now seen as a coward state, a push-over, ripe for more political exploitation, and slanderous pay-back for insulting Turkey's honour.