Cancel Plans to Turkey

If you are Jewish or Israeli and planning a trip to Turkey – please reconsider.

I can give you political reasons, security reasons, social reasons, financial reasons. Most of all, I will tell you that to go to Turkey now would be just plain stupid. Today, dozens of Israelis on a flight from Tel Aviv to Istanbul were detained by Turkish police, their passports confiscated.

Eventually, they were released. It was clear to all that this was a political act intended to intimidate the Israelis. I can imagine, somewhere in Israel, the army was considering whether this was a hostage situation and if we would need to rescue them.

We would have. In that one thought, I find much comfort. We will not allow Jews anywhere in the world to be intimidated – not again, not ever again.

In this act, Turkey has crossed a red line in my heart. They ousted our ambassador last week. I’m glad they did. I hope Jerusalem is not considering sending him back and I hope we withdraw all our personnel from Turkey.

This is what they want – let them have it.

The Turkish navy is planning to escort Turkish ships to Gaza, attempting, yet again, to break the naval blockade Israel has established around Gaza. There are many reasons for the blockade – not the least of which are the ongoing attempts to smuggle in weapons (Google Karine A, if you don’t know about this, and there are others; Google Gilad Shalit, and you may understand).

When I heard that only a day after the UN’s Palmer Report was unofficially released, Turkey stupidly announced this naval escort, all I could think of was, “Turkey, what part of LEGAL BLOCKADE don’t you understand?”

Yes, the UN has confirmed our blockade is legal, justified by smuggling attempts and ongoing rockets. They don’t like how our troops went about stopping the flotilla, but confirm it was our right to stop the ships. More, they confirm the flotilla thugs were violent and had full intentions of attacking the soldiers.

Turkey could, perhaps have been forgiven for their belief that the flotilla had better intentions…but now, there is no question. Evidence is in; it’s clear.

And the bottom line here is Turkey’s actions just get stupider and stupider. Moments ago, I learned that Turkey has given our personnel 2 days to leave the country. Yup, stupider and stupider.

And there is one more truth that Turkey and the world must learn. The day when the Jew will allow himself to be beaten is gone. We are not the Jews of 1939. We will not be driven from our homes here in Israel, our land. Not by the Palestinians, not by Hezbollah, and most certainly, not by the Turks.

2 Comments

  1. I’m glad that I visited Turkey many years ago, as I certainly would not spend a penny there now. Better to support the Israeli economy and watch movies about Istanbul.

  2. The secular Turkish republic founded by Kemal Ataturk is gone. In its place, Turkey’s Jew-hating Islamist leaders are creating a society modeled along the lines of Iran. Israel should not try to get back in the Turks’ good graces. They have shown what they think of the Jews and Israel. And Israel can build alliances with countries and peoples that fear the Turkish Islamist regime’s neo-Ottomanist ambitions. Israel has to stand fast. There is no alternative.

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