BY HASAN BULENT KAHRAMAN
SABAH- I should confess that the Israeli attacks, which have gotten more criticism and reaction from the world media than I expected, are so meaningful that they can't be only considered this country's move against Palestinians. For me, they opened a new page in foreign policy. From this point of view, the Israeli attacks can't be only considered a domestic policy initiative. The main point which is (or maybe isn't) interesting is that this move is supported by most of the Israeli public. What's more, it has given the hawks in Israel the upper hand. From a broader perspective, a mechanism which goes beyond condemning Israel is needed to solve the current situation. Unless this is understood, there will be no solution to the pain suffered by the Palestinians.
1. Israel's attacks show how the sphere of democracy, peace, security, and conflict that the world entered following the Sept. 11 attacks has moved in the direction of security and conflict. Israel started this war on the pretext that Hamas and Hezbollah constituted a threat to it and damaged it. This is how Israel turns back criticisms. So the conflict of democracy and security will operate in favor of security-oriented approaches, with force used both in local regions and elsewhere, from now on.
2. The world has remained silent in the face of Israel's initiative and violence. This is no coincidence. By 'world,' I mean the West. The West is even unable to operate the UN Security Council, which is the most important power under US interest and control, in this dramatic situation. What's important here is UN Security Council involvement and activity on the issue. But now we see an institution which insistently avoids this. Why?
3. The reason is clear. The West has been suffused with Islamophobia since 9-11. As Islam is considered the source of all evil, all kinds of opinions integrated with them and seen as opposition to the West are considered to be terrorist approaches. This isn't untrue, but this isn't and can't be enough to justify all that has happened. On the contrary, this situation shows in a very clear, bloodcurdling way that even the UN Security Council has been lost. What's more, the silence of not only the UN Security Council, but also US President-elect Barack Obama, showed that the world won't become a 'different place' anytime soon.
4. Of course Turkey will and should play an active role in the region in terms of these issues. Any other way is unacceptable. Turkey's relation with the region dates back hundreds of years, and it enjoys a very good reputation in the region. It has very important, concrete and good relations with all sides. On the other hand, while working as a mediator to push a solution in the region, we should carefully avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. I'm talking about the 2006 visit paid by Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal to the Turkish Presidential Palace at Ankara's invitation. We shouldn't forget that Hamas is an organization whose presence has been accepted but whose character no one can agree on. An initiative to legitimize it for the sake of a solution would put Turkey in a difficult situation, at least for now.