Headlines:
- Turkey Joins Saudi-led Islamic Military Alliance against Terrorism
- Turkey and the Jewish entity draw up Preliminary Outline to Restore Tie
- Hamas leader meets Erdogan as “Israel”-Turkey ties warm
Turkey Joins Saudi-led Islamic Military Alliance against Terrorism
Turkey says it welcomes the formation of a 34-state Islamic military coalition to combat terrorism and agrees to join the coalition announced and led by Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday 34 nations have agreed to form a new “Islamic military alliance” to fight terrorism with a joint operations center based in the kingdom’s capital, Riyadh.
Turkey, the only country in the alliance that is also a NATO member, welcomed the new coalition. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called it the “best response to those who are trying to associate terror and Islam.”
The new counterterrorism coalition includes nations with large and established armies such as Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt as well as war-torn countries with embattled militaries such as Libya and Yemen. African nations that have suffered militant attacks such as Mali, Chad, Somalia and Nigeria are also members.
Especially after a rash of attacks on Western targets claimed by ISIL in recent months, the United States has increasingly said it thinks that firepower would better be used against ISIL.
Smaller member-states included in the coalition are the archipelago of the Maldives and the Gulf Arab island-nation of Bahrain, which is home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.
However, Iraq and Syria, whose forces are battling to regain territory taken by the ISIL group and whose governments are allied with Iran, are not in the coalition.
Benin, while it does not have a majority Muslim population, is another member of this new counterterrorism coalition. All the group’s members are also part of the larger Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which is headquartered in Saudi Arabia. [Source: Today’s Zaman]
Islamic Military Alliance, established by Muslim countries against their alleged ‘Islamic terror’ protecting western values and security. These armies are expected to unite under one unique leadership and fight against the colonialist capitalist countries exploiting resources located in the Islamic world.
Turkey and the Jewish entity draw up Preliminary Outline to Restore Tie
“Israel” and Turkey have reached a number of “understandings” to resume diplomatic relations, pending a final signing of the agreement, and end a five-year diplomatic crisis, “Israeli” officials said on Friday to Newsweek.
The two countries severed diplomatic ties in 2010, following the raid by “Israel” naval-commandos of the MV Mavi Marmara vessel, attempting to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip which resulted in the deaths of ten activists after a violent confrontation ensued.
A senior “Israeli” official, speaking on condition of anonymity to Newsweek, as the deal is yet to be formally signed, says that the understandings were agreed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national-security adviser—and incoming Mossad head—Yossi Cohen, “Israeli” envoy Joseph Ciechanover and Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary of State, Feridun Sinirlioglu.
The preliminary outline of the deal includes Israel’s creation of a compensation fund for the raid victims’ families, with Israeli media reporting that the amount will be approximately $20 million.
Additional provisions include Turkey passing a law that will annul all legal claims against Israeli officers involved in the raid, and the prohibition of senior Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri from entering Turkey—a figure who Israel believes directs attacks against Israeli forces in the West Bank from Istanbul. Both countries’ ambassadors will return to Ankara and Tel Aviv and discussions would begin on the construction of a natural gas pipeline between Israel and Turkey.
The pending rapprochement between the two countries is not without its stumbling blocks. The two countries are yet to agree on the lifting of Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said was a prerequisite for any normalization with Israel earlier this week.
The Turkish leader said that warmer relations with “Israel” would benefit Turkey, “Israel”, Palestinians and the entire Middle East. “The region needs this. I don’t believe the Israeli public is pleased with the current state of relations. We need to consider the interests of the people of the region and introduce peace,” he added.
An apology by Netanyahu, in 2013, for the Mavi Marmara incident and behind-the-scenes diplomatic contact for the past five years has been close to bringing the two sides together again but Turkey has held firm with regards to compensation for the victims’ families. Before the incident, “Israel” and Turkey were close regional allies with shared economic interests and a stake in containing Iran’s regional ambitions. [Source: Newsweek]
In the Ottoman era Turkish leaders used to put forward their lives not to surrender to Zionists and Capitalist countries. Now they seek understandings concede the current Jewish state and the imperialist world order. What a contradiction!
Hamas leader meets Erdogan as Israel-Turkey ties warm
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Hamas leader Khaled Masha’al on Dec. 19, the first such meeting after reports of warming ties between Turkey and Israel.
Ahmed Yusef, a senior Hamas official, said improved relations between Israel and Turkey would not have a negative impact on Hamas.
“Policies among countries are based on interests,” Yusef said. “The normalization of relations between Turkey and Israel will not change Ankara’s position toward Hamas.”
Turkey is said to have issued two conditions for renewed ties with Israel: lifting the blockade on the Gaza Strip and payment of compensation for the families of Turkish nationals who were killed aboard the flotilla aid ship Mavi Marmara.
According to a report in the Turkish Sabah Daily, which is affiliated with Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, Israel will compensate the victims of the Mavi Marmara flotilla with a sum of $20 million.
Erdogan spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said that “if the Israeli side will follow through in this matter, then we will act accordingly. There is a need to pay compensation, and achieve results in the negotiations that took place on this matter.”
The Sabah Daily report claimed that Turkey had already received Israel’s pledge to ease the blockade and added that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will close the deal by the end of 2015, and immediately restore diplomatic relations between both countries.
Erdogan told reporters recently that reconciliation “would be good for us, Israel, Palestine and the entire region.” [Source: World Tribune]
Both AKP (Justice and Development Party) and Hamas are based on interests as the Hamas official Ahmed Yusef said. They should have been based on Islamic Aqeedah. This situation’s results are collaboration with Capitalist countries and settle for their authority over Islamic lands. This is a big shame for those who care.