Erdogan can withstand Western Media Smear Campaign

20 June 2010
At the time of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip in late 2008, the Western media and its politicians were heaping praise on Turkey and upholding it as a shining example of how Islam and democracy can co-exist.

This praise has now evaporated and turned instead into an intensive media and diplomatic campaign to discredit Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The American right, and many European newspapers, are intent on re-packaging Erdogn as 'hostile' to the West's middle Eastern agenda and interests in the region.

The reason for this shift is Israel, the compass that determines who is friend and who is foe for the West. When Turkey played the role of mediator between the Jewish state and Syria, for example, or hosted rounds of indirect peace negotiations, it was described as a bridge for rapprochement between East and West.

When it flew the banner of the Islamic nation, however, and spoke out against the blockade of Gaza and the murder of peace activists by Israel on the high seas, it joined the list of enemies at breakneck speed.

The whole world now recognizes the error of the blockade, and adverse consequences resulting from it, including the increased threat to the security of Israel itself. It is clear that it has strengthened, rather than diminished, the rule of Hamas.

Equally clear is that the sudden flurry of activity in reducing, if not lifting, the blockade, comes as a direct result of Turkey's high moral stance and steadfastness. It is a shame that the West cannot recognize this and compliment Mr Erdogan on his humane standards rather than dig up horrific incidents from Turkey's past relations with Armenian in order to discredit him.

It is also painful to see the extent of cooperation between Western media outlets, as well as several 'moderate' Arab ones, with the Israeli lobby. It is as if there is a very carefully considered master-plan which sets the tone of media coverage and identifies 'experts' to be consulted in order to mislead public opinion.

Double standards abound: Erdogan is portrayed as having committed a major crime by receiving visits from Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir (wanted by the international war crimes tribunal for his role in the Darfur massacres) and Iranian President Ahmadinejad who, according to veteran US journalist Thoman Friedman has killed and arrested thousands of Iranians during the Velvet Revolution.

When these two infamous leaders visit Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Iraq or even Libya and Russia, however, it merits very few column inches.

Journalists like Mr Friedman seem to have developed sudden amnesia regarding the great services provided by Turkey to the Western world over the past sixty years, through its membership in NATO (it joined in 1952), where she was a bulwark against communist expansion towards the east and south. Turkey fought with the U.S. in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Bosnia and Kosovo, but all of this is forgotten since Mr Erdogan declared his intention to work for an end to the siege of Gaza and demanded an apology for the Israeli massacre on board the Turkish ship, the Marmara, and insisted that an international independent investigation committee should be established to ascertain all the facts and apportion culpability.

Israel it seems cannot be challenged; it is a fortress-state, granted carte blanche from the West to rain death and aggression on the Palestinians, whenever and wherever it wants without being challenged or being held accountable.

Turkey's secular rulers, the heirs of Ataturk, responded to all requests from the West: they amended the Constitution and adopted all the values of Western democracy, including abolishing the death penalty. When moderate Islamists came to power, led by Erdogan, they turned a blind eye to crimes such as adultery and prostitution in order to win membership in the European Union and achieve the dream of the famous Ataturk, only to discover at the end of the day, after this marathon run, the presence of a sign on the door to this club saying 'Muslims are forbidden to enter'.

The strategic alliance between Turkey and Israel, which lasted more than half a century, did not open the door of the European Union to Turkey. Now those countries are standing by Israel, despite its many crimes, because Turkey has acknowledged its allegiance with the Arab and Islamic world.

Vjos Aznar, Prime Minister of Spain, the forth side of the 'Coalition' (along with Bush, Blair and Berlusconi) of evil that destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan, and either killed or displaced millions, has finally come out of his hole after a 5-year hibernation, to bang the drum to support Israel, and its War against its enemies, in an article published in 'The Times' British three days ago.

Just as they did with Gamal Abdel Nasser and Saddam Hussein, the West and Israel are now trying to tighten the ring on Erdogan, working hard on character assassination, and attributing all vices to him and his party.

The problem is that Friedman and his ilk want Erdogan to be a copy of most Arab leaders, ie, to become leader of a corrupt dictatorship guided by the compass of Israeli demands to tighten the siege on the Gaza Strip, sending gunboats to sink ships at sea.

Thankfully there are few signs that Mr. Erdogan will follow this path, nor that he will bow to the media and diplomatic campaign against him. He has started a change in the region and an awareness that the Arab people do not have to meekly accept the injustice and bullying meted out to them by Israel and America.