Yesterday was other-worldly, watching the sick march of hypocrisy on display at the U.N. for the vote in the General Assembly to grant “Palestine” nonmember state status.
Of course, “Palestine” already declared independence in 1988 and that declaration was recognized by almost all of the 138 countries that voted “yes” yesterday.
What was other worldly was watching the speech of the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. I watched it live. I haven’t been able to find a link to the text, but it was unreal, talking about the inalienable rights of peoples to a state.
This is the same Turkey which brutally supresses the Kurdish independence movement both inside Turkey and neighboring states, and which has threatened in the past to go to war if Kurds in neighboring Iraq established their own state.
The same Turkey whose Prime Minister declared Israel a “terrorist state” because it defended itself against hundreds of rockets fired from Gaza, even though Turkey retaliated against Syria when a handful of shell landed on Turkish territory, and which repeatedly has launched retaliatory attacks against Kurdish rebels in Iraq.
The same Turkey which has threatened military action over Israel’s exploration for natural gas in conjunction with Greek Cyprus. The same Turkey which continues to occupy the northern part of Cyprus.
The same Turkey which threatened to send warships to break Israel’s military blockade of Gaza, a blockade which even the U.N. found to be legal.
The same Turkey whose Islamist ruling party has been methodically destroying secular institutional counterweights.
There was a parade of hypocrites yesterday, but none more so than Turkey.
David Goldman notes:
Here’s an essay contest, for which I personally will offer a $100 prize. Write 1,000 words on the subject, “Why the Palestinians Deserve an Independent State and the Kurds Do Not.”Explain why the Kurds should not have an independent state, despite these facts: 1) There are 35 million Kurds, as opposed to perhaps six million Palestinian Arabs by the broadest definition; 2) The Kurds are an ethnic group distinct from Turks, Arabs, or Persians; 3) Perhaps 40,000 Kurdish militants have died at the hands of Turkish security forces during the past twenty years battling against Turkey for an independent Kurdish state; 4) The Kurds speak a distinct language and have a distinct culture; 5) Saddam Hussein killed up to 300,000 Iraqi Kurds, including by poison gas attacks on civilians; 6) The Iraqi Kurds have governed themselves successfully in northern Iraq since Saddam Hussein was overthrown by the American-led coalition in 2003.
This would be the same Turkish Foreign Minister who, in a reception honoring the vote, praised “martyrs” who died for the “holy territories” (emphasis mine):
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu was present at a reception held at a Turkish residence in New York in honor of the United Nations voting to grant Palestine non-member observer state status.“We have attended many receptions so far, but this one is the most meaningful and historical reception I’ve ever attended,” Davutoğlu said in a salute to Palestinian people living in West Bank and Gaza. “This victory is thanks to all those martyrs who were killed for the holy territories. This is only a beginning. I hope we will see the Palestinian flag waving in all UN institutions as a full member,” he said.
This would be the same Turkey whose Prime Minister has been described as one of Obama’s five closest international friends.
Like I said, plenty of hyprocrisy to go around.
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