So much for a “principled policy” for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s stand against the Jewish state! Ankara decided on Friday, Dec. 21 to step back from its opposition to cooperation between NATO and Israel.
While Turkey’s decision was unexpected, given the Erdogan government’s strong reaction to Israel’s latest Gaza offensive, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s tear-shedding photos from his visit to Gaza and Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s recent reception of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Ankara with full honors accorded to a head of state, Ankara’s decision to concede to Israel at this time is a testament that Turkey is really not a play-maker in the region, as its overconfident policy rhetoric suggests.
