TURKEY, ISRAEL, HYPOCRISY

"Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises, for never intending to go beyond promise, it costs nothing."
~ Edmund Burke.

Debkafile doesn't have a whole lot of credibility as far as I'm concerned but this is interesting because it's so much in character for Katil Erdoğan:

Monday, Jan. 5, Erdogan outdid himself in vituperation when he accused Israel of "perpetrating inhuman actions which would bring it to self-destruction. Allah will sooner or later punish those who transgress the rights of innocents," he said.

It's so much in character for Katil Erdoğan because it reaches the stratosphere as far as hypocrisy goes, even though Israel apologized for having embarrassed its stalwart ally. I doubt very much, though, that Erdoğan will "freeze the long-standing military ties between the US's foremost defense allies in the Middle East" because there's simply too much at stake. Too much money, that is. It was only one short month ago that Turkey took possession of it's new, highly-coveted Israeli military hardware, the Heron:

December 27, 2008: Israel Aircraft Industries has recently delivered Turkey the first two Heron UAVs, part of a package worth $183 million signed between Turkey and Israel in 2005. The aircraft are deployed at the Batman military base in Southeast Turkey. Israel is expected to deliver the remaining 8 Herons in the upcoming months. The package includes 10 IAI Heron UAVs, operated by ground control systems developed by Elbit Systems.

Turkey steps up reconnaissance operations of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles monitoring suspected Kurdish resistance in Southeastern Turkey and Northeast Iraq

Another Heron delivered to Turkey earlier this year was crashed in July 2008 while on a mission over Southeastern Turkey. Israel provided turkey with a surplus Searcher type UAV to augment its operations, but this UAV has also been lost. Turkey has also leased UAV services of three Aerostar tactical UAVs built by Aeronautics defense Systems, to augment its reconnaissance activities monitoring PKK activities in Southeastern Turkey and Kurdistan.

Not that it looks like the paşas know how to operate the new Herons as well as they know how to operate a golf ball and I guess that's why they've had Israelis operating the Herons for them--a piece of intel that even appeared in Haaretz.

Of course, it's not enough just to have unmanned aerial vehicles but now the paşas want armed unmanned aerial vehicles. Zaman reports that the paşas may spurn the American-made Predator in favor of the Israeli-made Harpy:

In a related development, Today's Zaman learned that Turkey may have now shifted its interest from US-made Predator UAVs, which can be configured into armed UAVs, to Israeli-made armed Harpy2 UAVs.

"Turkey needs at least one armed UAV," said a local industry source.

Despite an earlier acknowledgement by a Turkish commander that Ankara plans to buy a General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Predator UAV, the SSM is understood to have been delaying its official proposal to the US company for the purchase of a Predator, said the same source.

Turkish Land Forces Commander Gen. Isik Kosaner acknowledged at a press conference on Oct. 27 that Turkey plans to buy a US-made UAV, noting that one Predator UAV is currently at the disposal of the Turkish military and has been gathering intelligence on the activities of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), mostly in northern Iraq.

If purchased, the US has pledged to supply Turkey with the system within 18 months.

However, Turkey shifted its focus to the Israeli Harpy after Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül was introduced an armed UAV during his visit to Israel in late October. That development may have influenced Turkey to go to Israel for the purchase of an armed UAV, said a Turkish defense industry source.

Does anyone really believe Katil Erdoğan is going to say "No" to the paşas? Does anyone really believe the paşas are only going to use armed drones on "military" targets? Sure, just like the US only uses drones on "military" targets? Think again.

Turkey is still trying to bring the Gaza situation to the UN Security Council:

In a swift reaction to Israel’s ground incursion into Gaza, the Turkish capital has harshly condemned Israel’s move, which it said was “unacceptable,” while calling on the UN Security Council to take immediate steps to bring the situation under control.

What's so funny about this is that it was in 2006, shortly after Israel's failed "incursion" into Lebanon, that Turkey became hot to follow the Israeli example in order to invade South Kurdistan--in another failed "incursion", I might add. From AsiaTimes:

This vividly reminds one of a similar blunder in the summer of 2006, when US officials backed Israel's cross-border incursions into southern Lebanon with the stated aim of "neutralizing" a terrorist organization (Hezbollah) and destroying its "organizational infrastructure".

The vocabulary used in both occasions, and the reactions solicited from Washington, are so strikingly similar that, inevitably, they invite comparisons between Israel's ultimately futile misadventure in Lebanon and Turkey's operation that is already a week long. Despite the US's prodding to "keep it short", it may end up approximating Israel's 33-day campaign against Hezbollah. This is particularly so since the Turkish army has to endure harsh winter conditions in addition to a resilient foe of about 3,000 or so PKK fighters.

In both cases, Israeli and Turkish leaders have tried to elicit world sympathy by stressing their "rightful cause", and in the expressions of "understanding" by both the US and the European Union seen at the beginning of both conflicts, one can detect the undercurrents of a failed Western policy that simply does not learn from history.

There are important differences between the two cases, but the similarities are unmistakable. This is particularly so in the area of asymmetrical warfare and the not-so-declared motives of the invading armies, ie, in Lebanon for Israel to fight a proxy war with Iran and in Iraq for Turkey to undermine the Kurdish path toward greater autonomy and, perhaps, eventual independence.

Zaman is also crying over its claim that Israel has been using cluster bombs in Gaza. It didn't do that when Turkey carpeted civilian areas in South Kurdistan with cluster bombs in October 2007.

Besides, even as far back as nine years ago, it was widely recognized that there was more than just a military relationship between Israel and Turkey, that there were economic ties like free trade zones, tourist resorts populated by Israeli visitors (and benefiting TSK), water agreements, and, perhaps most importantly, support for Turkey from the Israel lobby in the US. All of this in spite of the Israeli-Turkish relationship as a destabilizing factor in the Middle East.

I'm also completely amazed that global corporate media lapdogs have failed, in recent days, to point out the US role in maintaining destabilization, something David Rose of Vanity Fair pointed out last April. The only recent article on that can be found at Alternet.

No, I don't believe that Turkey is going to freeze its relationship with Israel, militarily or otherwise, no matter what Debkafile says. Even Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek will back me over Katil Erdoğan over that:

Turkish government spokesman and Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek signaled during a news conference on Monday that Ankara was not considering retaliation against Israel through suspending the countries' military relationship or canceling a recent project agreement signed with Israel.

Çiçek's statement came in response to a reporter's question about whether Ankara would cancel the recent arms deal with Israel -- a reflection of heightened expectations among the Turkish public that Turkey should cancel or suspend military cooperation with Israel as a means of deterring Israel from attacking Gaza.

The "recent arms deal with Israel" referred to here is the $141 million contract awarded to Israeli Aerospace Industries (the same people that brought you the Heron) for "comprehensive intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance applications" for the Turkish air force. These systems will help Turkey to continue its bombing of North and South Kurdistan. Further cooperation will ensure that Turkey benefits from the military lessons learned by the IDF in the current Gaza campaign.

After all, money, influence, and power speak a helluva lot louder than Kerdoğan.

OTTAWA TREATY: TURKEY NONCOMPLIANT

"I asked a Burmese why women, after centuries of following their men, now walk ahead. He said there were many unexploded land mines since the war."
~ Robert Mueller.

Gordon Taylor has another piece on the guerrillas--an epitaph for Şehîd Halil Uysal:

Halil seems to have had an affinity for his chosen terrain. His PKK code name was Halil Dağ ("Halil Mountain"), and he wrote about his mountains as well as photographing them. I used a lot of images from the PKK's website (see some of them here), and it now seems likely that quite a few of those were actually made by Halil. But it is as a filmmaker that Halil won his biggest audience. Hevallo, at this post, gives a synopsis of the three films that Halil made while living in the mountains, and provides video clips as well.

I have not, I confess, ever seen Halil's films. Turkish newspapers have dismissed them as propaganda, and by their standards of course they are correct. But to Turkish nationalists anything (including this post) is vicious pro-terrorist propaganda when it dares to depict the soldiers of the PKK as human beings. Well, guilty as charged. The young man above looks like a human being to me.

Toprağı bol olsun. Rest in peace, Halil Bey.

Şehîd nemirin!

What have I been complaining about for a while? Among other things:

The Initiative for a Turkey without Mines has said that despite its promise to destroy its stock of landmines by 1 March, Turkey has not completed the operation.

Making a statement before the First International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action on 4 April, the initiative said that, still, every three days a person was wounded or killed by a landmine in Turkey.

[ . . . ]

The Ottawa Convention was negotiated ten years ago and ratified by Turkey in 2003. According to the convention, Turkey is supposed to have cleared all the landmines in the ground by 2014.

[ . . . ]

Between 1950-55 and 1984-94, 1 million mines were buried in Turkey. There are a further 3 million mines stored which need to be destroyed.

As I've written previously, the Ankara regime has made no effort to clear mines from The Southeast, nor has it followed proper mine protocol.

It's amazing that the Ankara regime does absolutely nothing to improve the situation of its own citizens. The regime got involved with compliance for the Ottawa Treaty way back in 2000. Here we are in 2008, and still nothing has been done, and this is all supposed to be taken care of by 2014.

I have one piece of advice: Don't hold your breath.

See how well Turkey complies with the treaties to which it's signatory?

More mine news, this time from South Kurdistan:

De-mining operations continue but have been slowed due to natural difficulties and lack of military maps of planted mines.

Landmines are everywhere in Kurdistan Region. The mines, nearly three for every person in Kurdistan Region, were laid mostly against Kurdish armed movements since the 1960s, more so than at any other time during regional wars over the past three decades.

The Iraqi government announced recently that nearly 25 million mines lay unearthed over the entire country. Sources from the Kurdistan Region Mine Action Agency (MAA) say that most of those- nearly 12-15 million- are in the region.

There were 18 mine victims in Kurdistan during the first three months of 2008; 4 died and 14 were wounded, including two de-miners. Eight of them were in Suleimaniya and the rest were in Duhok and Erbil, according to information provided by Ako Aziz, MAA director of Mine Risk Education.

In 2007, 13 people, mostly villagers, were killed and 36 were wounded due to explosives and mine explosions. Most occurred in Chamchamal west of Suleimaniya, Zakho in Duhok province, and in Choman northeast of Erbil.

[ . . . ]

On the anniversary of International Mine Ban Treaty of Ottawa, on April 4, the MAA handed over nine minefields to landowners. The MAA alone has cleaned 1.5 square kilometers of 4,000 land mines and 9 square kilometers of 11,500,000 other unexploded ordnance.

Much de-mining operation time is spent on preparations for removing mines because of lack of basic data.

"Unfortunately, we don't have military maps [of the planted mines]; very, very little has reached us," said Barzani [Siraj Barzani, head of the MAA]. "For example, for a landmine that needs to be cleaned in nine months, we spend several months on preparatory works." Many of the minefields are located in hard-to-reach mountainous areas where it is hard to transport equipment, and conditions may have changed the positions of the mines over the years.

Credit where credit is due: Bravo to KRG for continuing to slog it out in their battle with the mines. Now, of course, there are all those cluster bombs to clear, too.

HPG STATEMENT ON TURKEY'S USE OF CLUSTER BOMBS

"Cluster bombs are designed to strike large troop concentrations or to penetrate armored vehicles and, under international humanitarian law, their use should be limited to areas where there are no civilians."
~ Global Security.

A statement by Dr. Bahoz Erdal, HPG (People's Defense forces) Headquarters Commander on the use of cluster bombs by the Turkish state in North and South Kurdistan:

We have stated for years that the Turkish state itself has not acted according to international agreements to which it is a signatory. We have often submitted much evidence on this issue to international institutions, however these were not taken care of.

For example, In 1996 and 1997 in North Kurdistan (Southeastern Turkey), across the border region in Çukurca, Çiyaye Reş, combat aircraft dropped numerous dispensers containing cluster bombs. I would also like to add that these kinds of bombs pose a very great danger to the population since it is not certain when and where they will explode. Because of these bombs, hundreds of Kurdish children have been killed, wounded, and handicapped.

Although these kinds of bombs are legally forbidden, they have been used in some parts of South Kurdistan (Northern Iraq) again.

On 31 July 2007, between 19:00 and 22:00 hours, the areas of Haftanin in the Zaxo region, South Kurdistan, Perex, Şeşdara, Pırbıla, and Keşan were bombarded by enemy Howitzer shells, cluster bombs, and heavy mortars. Again, on 23 May 2007 in Zap, opposite the border from Çukurca, and in Çemco in the town of Şeladize, South Kurdistan, were bombarded with cluster bombs.

After these incidents, there were again attacks at times. Previously the bombs were dropped from aircraft but now they are delivered through artillery and mortar fire, making the work of the Turkish state much easier. Therefore these actions in these territories continue again and again. In particular, the newer cluster bombs come with parachute systems and a piece of rope, looking like toys, as if they are inciting the children to go and play with them. The areas where civilians live, such as gardens, large fields, and the forests where they collect wood, are at present very dangerous. The population is not in the condition to carry out their everyday life

For us, it is a primary task to educate and protect the people in the settlement areas, and particularly the children, against these dangers. Thus we support our people with all our strength against these cluster bomb attacks, which we judge an inhuman punishment of the Turkish state. However, we cannot reach all the areas.

We call all international institutions to attention, to clear the forbidden bombs from the areas and to prevent the Turkish state concerning its barbaric attacks against civilian settlement areas.

With regards,

Dr. Bahoz Erdal
Headquarters Commander
HPG (People's Defense Forces)

The following are videos of some of the cluster bombs found by the gerîlas. In the second and third videos, the gerîlas explain the dangers to the civilian population, echoing that which Heval Bahoz says in his statement. In the third video, the gerîlas have collected some of the bomblets in order to bury them.



Video 1:

Video 2:

Video 3:

For more on the various types of cluster munitions, check this .pdf chart.

Naturally, if these bombs had been found in Southern Lebanon, instead of Southern Kurdistan, the news would have been all over the front pages of the Western media. At this point, the only ones looking out for the civilian population in affected areas are the Kurdish freedom fighters of the People's Defense Forces.

EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTIONS BY TSK CONTINUE

"In the course of the last several years, both the Special Rapporteur and her predecessor,
Bacre W. Ndiaye, on numerous occasions approached the Government of Turkey regarding cases of alleged extrajudicial executions and other violation of the right to life. In most of these cases, government forces have been accused in cases of deaths resulting from excessive use of force and deaths in custody, or instances where persons were allegedly found dead after having been abducted by police or security forces."
~ Report of the Special Rapporteur, Ms. Asma Jahangir, submitted pursuant to Commission on Human Rights resolution 2001/45.

From Özgür Gündem comes a report on a murder of five Kurdish youths in 2005.

In January 2005, five Kurdish youths were murdered by TSK in Şirnex (Şirnak), with the claim that the youths were HPG gerîlas. However, after an investigation by İnsan Hakları Derneği (IHD--Turkish Human Rights Association), it is clear that the youths were, in fact, civilians and not members of HPG.

The five youths were composed of four females and one male. They were not dressed as HPG gerîlas and IHD determined that the sparse military equipment found on the bodies had been planted after the murders. The one weapon found in the hands of one of the dead was a rusty pistol. The military-style vests and belts found on the bodies appeared to have been put on the bodies by someone other than the wearer. For instance, on one of the female bodies, the belt containing the ammunition pouches was put on backwards. Another of the females had no clothes on whatsoever, save for underclothes, indicating that she had been undressed by someone at some point. The clothes of the dead were civilian clothes, including turtleneck sweaters, which would have been fitting for wear in January. The bodies were not wearing the distinctive HPG uniform.

At the time, HPG made a statement about the murders, saying the victims were civilians and not members of HPG. On the other hand, the official report from Sirnex made the claim that the victims were HPG gerîlas.

Right after the incident occured, IHD chairman Reyhan Yalçındağ, IHD regional representative Mihdi Perinçek, Selahattin Demirtaş (who is now a DTP parliamentarian from Amed/Diyarbakır), and IHD branch chairman Mehmet Bozkurt made a statment in which they noted the following:

1. The incident took place 2 kilometers away from Toptepe village, close to a river bank.

2. The area is very close to numerous military forces, in a well-protected area.

3. The victims were wearing civilian clothes.

4. The prosecutor never went to the scene to investigate the murders, contrary to Turkish law.

5. There was no report from the murder scene and no list of personal effects of the victims, contrary to Turkish law.

4. There were no photos, no coordinates of the murder scene, no videotape recording.

5. Evidence collection was done by the Jandarma forces, who were the main suspects of the murders.

IHD had applied to the Şirnex prosecutor to investigate the case because IHD was highly suspicious that it was an example of a TSK murder of civilians, but the Şirnex prosecutor dismissed the case without any kind of hearing. Following the dismissal, IHD applied to the European Court of Human Rights.

At the time of IHD's 2005 statement, there was no evidence available, but now IHD has come into the possession of video and photos taken of the murder scene and the victims. From these records, it becomes clearer that the victims were civilians and they were murdered by TSK.

The bodies show evidence of torture, such as cigarette burns and other burns. One victim had 11 cigarette burns on the body. The male body shows signs of cutting on the palms of the hands and on the left leg. One of the mothers of the victims could not recognize her daughter's body because of the severe discoloration and bruising. This family had requested the autopsy and ballistics reports, but they were refused the information.

In addition, there are statements from the villagers of Toptepe area:

"Around noontime a group of soldiers came and asked for three donkeys, and we accompanied the group of soldiers with our donkeys. When we got there, five people were there but they were not wearing gerilla clothes. I got the chance to examine the two females that I loaded on my donkey. They had dressed up like we do in daily life. In this region, there is no fighting. Everyone in this village is a witness of this incident, but because of fear of the soldiers, no one can tell about it."

Also there was news last week of TSK's use of cluster bomb munitions in South Kurdistan. TSK fired cluster bombs in the Haftanin region of South Kurdistan, severely injuring three villagers. Near Zaxo, a Turkish helicopter employed cluster bombs, causing severe injuries to a shepherd. Fifteen sheep were killed in the incident.

Unexploded cluster bombs pose a great danger to anyone who handles them, especially to children, as well as causing destruction of livestock property.

The use of cluster bombs is banned by certain international agreements. Israeli use of cluster bombs in Lebanon last year caused an international outcry but, so far, there has been no outcry against TSK's use of cluster bombs against Kurdish civilians.

And don't hold your breath on that.