Terror In Istanbul

BY YILMAZ OZTUNA
TURKIYE- Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna comments on the weekend bomb attacks on two synagogues in Istanbul. A summary of his column is as follows:
Terror struck Istanbul last weekend. Who did it, and why? This will be widely discussed, but to no avail. Al Qaeda seems to be the most likely group in terms of this type of attack. The message to Turkey and the world is as follows: ‘If you continue to cooperate with the US, you will suffer such misfortunes. You should adopt a clear stance against Israel and cease being interested in Iraq.’
If this is really the message, in Turkey it will actually have the opposite effect. As we can’t make concessions to terrorism, we will only align our policy with Washington’s that more. In addition, this anti-Semitic attack – something unfamiliar and alien to Turkey – will also cause a greater rapprochement in our relations with Israel.
Whether the attack was carried out by a radical Islamic group or not, Turkey will continue its current foreign policy. In other words, the US is our strategic ally, and our European Union membership bid will continue. The goal of ruining Turkey’s peace and stability and weakening our economy cannot be ignored either. Turkish-Israeli relations, which are already good, will grow closer. The aim is to shock and confuse us. Meanwhile, the message to Europe that its turn might be next shouldn’t be missed. These are my initial impressions. As the story develops, my views could change as well.