Ertuğrul Özkök - English
Ertuğrul Özkök - English
Ertuğrul Özkök - EnglishYazarın Tüm Yazıları

Who will support that particular remark made by the Turkish prime minister

For most of us Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan produced a sense of “relief” in our spirits; have we been able to relax?

Haberin Devamı

If so, it is now time to consider things that would relax our minds and our sense of reason.

 

The storming off the stage was done and was said is said.

 

And there is no reason to continue discussion of the issue as being either right or wrong.

 

But the reality remains and the remarks made during this series of events continue to be at the center of discussions.

 

The issue is now, who and how will these remarks be backed up.

 

* * *

Haberin Devamı

 

Let's start with the first one.

 

Erdogan delivered this message to U.S. President Barack Obama ahead of the Davos summit:

 

"Let's redefine terror."

 

Nobody gave the required attention to this remark since it was overshadowed by Davos.

 

I don't know if Erdogan said this remark after an in-depth analysis or if it was said spontaneously during the interview.

 

One thing I do know for sure is he said this sentence in a bid "to determine the position of Hamas again".

 

He made a huge mistake in saying this. Turkey should be the last country to voice such a proposal.

 

If I am not mistaken our official stance since PKK terror began was this:

 

"Terror is terror and no extenuating circumstances should be sought for any terrorist organization."

Haberin Devamı

 

Hamas will not be the sole terrorist organization who will jump at such an opportunity when you start to "redefine terror".

 

No one doubts that the Chechens and the PKK would queue up to benefit from the "Hamas practice".

 

It is beneficial to prepare in advance convincing counter arguments against such a development.

 

How is Hamas not a terror organization but the PKK is?

 

My answer is clear: both are terrorist organizations.

 

* * *

 

The second remark, made during a session in Davos, in which he said, "You know very well how to kill..."

 

Who would back up this very risky remark?

 

Just look at a recent statement of Emine Ayna, the deputy chairman of pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party, who continued this remark with a statement to Erdogan in which she said, “You also know all too well how to kill…”

Haberin Devamı

 

And immediately jumping on the band wagon are the Yezidis*, who wrote letter to Obama claiming to be victims of genocide.

 

If you voice such a subjective opinion of others, then others are likely to do the same to you.

 

Therefore, Turkey should back up the prime minister's remarks with a solid thesis.

 

The third point is:

 

Turkey, who is aspires to be "the protector of the destitute," should determine which of the destitute it hopes to protect.

 

Only the Palestinians in Gaza, or of all those who suffer in this world?

 

Then we should also deliver the same message that was sent to Israeli President Shimon Peres, and with the same clarity, to the Sudanese officials that were invited to Turkey three times in the past year, and say "you know even better than Israelis how to kill".

Haberin Devamı

 

This should be done in the name of the hundreds of thousands of children killed there.

 

We should at least be brave enough to tell Hamas, "How wonderful, you are no less than Israel when it comes to killing people," when a suicide bomb attack goes off in the streets of Tel Aviv or a missile is fired from Gaza.

 

* * *

 

One very important point.

 

Erdogan always reiterates the same statement, "We say the same things to Hamas behind closed doors."

 

This is not right.

 

If harsh statements can be made against Israel during a panel sessions broadcast to the entire world, then the same should be done for Hamas.

 

If our pride was overly stroked by Davos, it is now time for us to stroke our minds and sense of reason to excess.

Haberin Devamı

 

 

*Yezidi is a Kurdish religion, its members are primarily Kurdish speaking, and most live in the Mosul region of northern Iraq.

 

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