Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan says:

I have told this to US officials… I do not accept Hamas as a terrorist organisation..

and:

he [does] not view Hamas, which runs Gaza, as a terrorist organisation…

They are:

resistance fighters who are struggling to defend their land

So ends Turkey’s relationship with Israel which has been one of co-operation for many years. As Turkey,  the first truly secular Islamic state, kisses goodbye to its founding principles and moves inexorably into the arms of Iran it is on a collision course, not with the Israeli navy but with Europe.

Turkey should be suspended or kicked out of NATO for having close ties with Iran and Syria.

Apart from Israel, both the US and the EU have declared Hamas as a terrorist organisation. The UN, of course, loaded as it is with Islamic countries, sees Hamas as Turkey does; an elected group to be treated like a legitimate state actor  on a par with the illegitimate Israel.

Of course, Mr Erdogan is right. Hamas are struggling to defend their land, except the land in question is Israel which it does not recognise and seeks to destroy.

Once Turkey dreamed of being a member of the EU; it just had to tidy up its human rights record – stop persecuting Kurds, and fess up to the Armenian genocide and sort out Cyprus. Now it’s more likely to be kissing Ahmadinejad’s backside.

In fact the flotilla gave Turkey a great excuse to turn on its old friend, Israel. The relationship was becoming increasingly untenable as Erdogan got closer to Syria and Iran and as his people became increasingly radicalised.

Michael Oren, Israeli ambassador to the US agrees with this analysis:

“Turkey has embraced the leaders of Iran and Hamas, all of whom called for Israel’s destruction,”…

“Our policy has not changed but Turkey’s policy has changed, very much, over the last few years,…

“Under a different government with an Islamic orientation, Turkey has turned away from the West.”

What a tragedy for Turkey. They always did pick the wrong side in a conflict.

*For those of you who aren’t too good on irony, the headline is ironic (RC)