BY ERDAL SAFAK
SABAH- As if Turkey didn't have enough problems, some people want to drag it into the hell of Palestine. Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary General Yaser Abed Rabbo said that if an international peacekeeping force is to be sent to the Gaza Strip, it should include soldiers from such countries as Turkey, Indonesia and Qatar. He added that only this way could the trust of all the parties be ensured. Gaza fell into Hamas' hands following the bloody conflicts of June 15. The 360 square kilometer region where more than 1.5 million Palestinians live is now completely isolated and has become the target of Israeli operations. This situation is making Hamas more radical every day. Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and Western countries are concerned that the Gaza Strip will turn into a headquarters of fundamentalist groups, even al-Qaeda. In a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asked for his support for sending an international peacekeeping force to Gaza. Before this meeting, the issue was discussed by Palestinian, Israeli, Egyptian and Jordanian leaders during the Sharm al-Sheikh summit. Just after that, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and the EU and Israel stated that they welcomed this suggestion warmly. At the same time, Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema told his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul that such a force would be necessary.
It's true that Gul told his guest that the issue should be discussed in detail, but cautious expressions used by Gul probably left the impression on diplomatic circles that Ankara had opened the door. I think sending Turkish soldiers to Gaza would be a nightmare for Turkey due to the following reasons:
Such a multinational force would be perceived by the Turkish and Arab publics as protecting Israel against Hamas.
Hamas stated that even if the force comes with a UN mandate, it would be seen as an `occupying force' and be received with rockets.
Even if Hamas is somehow persuaded, more radical groups that it can't control are present in Gaza.
Israel wants to be given the authority to intervene, in return for commissioning the multinational power with only a coordinating or observer status.
The force would have to face Iran, even indirectly, because Hamas is surviving with arms and money sent by Tehran.
Just these five reasons are enough for keeping Turkey away from the circle of fire. If a peacekeeping force is sent to the region, firstly Egypt should undertake this task, because it holds one of the keys to the Gaza Strip's two doors to the world. In addition, it has had a responsibility for Gaza since the 1967 War.
If Egypt ducks its responsibility, European Union countries should send soldiers. But they say though they're ready to support sending a multinational force to Gaza, they can't send their own soldiers to such a dangerous task whose duration is still unknown. This was said by a high-level EU diplomat as quoted in Le Monde on June 16. Actually, authorization from Parliament would be necessary for Turkey to contribute to this force, and Parliament and the new ruling party will have a lot to do following the July 22 elections, but let me just ask this: What is Turkey doing at a hornet's nest that everybody sees as very dangerous?