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Turkey, Israel fighting similar wars on terror, US Jewish group says
Friday, July 28, 2006
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JINSA criticizes U.S. administration for treating Turkey and Israel differently
ÜMİT ENGİNSOY
WASHINGTON - Turkish Daily News
A think tank of leading U.S. conservative Jews, foreign policy hawks on Mideast matters, drew parallels between Turkey's fight against the terrorist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Israel's war on the radical Shiite group Hezbollah in Lebanon, criticizing President George W. Bush's administration for applying a double standard on the two allies' cases.
"The United States has warned Turkey against cross-border retaliation into Iraq, but it is really hard to understand how Israel's fight is different from Turkey's fight in this regard," the Washington-based Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, or JINSA, said in a statement Thursday.
It was referring to Israel's fight with Hezbollah in Lebanon in the wake of the abduction of two Israeli soldiers by militants two weeks ago and Washington's opposition to Turkish military action inside neighboring northern Iraq following the killing of more than 20 Turkish soldiers by the PKK this month.
Top Turkish officials last week rapped the United States for tolerating Israel's attacks on its enemies in Lebanon while refusing to allow Turkey to crush the PKK militants hiding inside Iraq.
"Israel has little complaint with the government of Lebanon except that it did not exert its authority over the terrorists operating within the country," JINSA said. "Turkey has little complaint with the government of Iraq, except the same thing."
JINSA blamed the Iraqi Kurds for their lack of action against the PKK.
"Iraqi Kurdish officials, with a Kurdish militia, have declined to take military action against the PKK, saying they want to bring the organization into the political process - but have failed to do so. Rather, they are like what Lebanon said about Hezbollah and Fatah said about Hamas (in Palestine)," it said. "In all cases, it is important to understand that terrorist groups don't care about the political process, except to the extent that it provides cover for terrorism."
Despite its support for Turkey's right to self-defense, JINSA's statement fell short of endorsing Turkish military intervention in northern Iraq.
"We even understand why U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson could say, 'We have repeatedly said that we believe that unilateral military action across the border with Iraq would be unwise,'" it said.
JINSA also blasted Iraq's visiting Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's earlier remarks condemning Israel for the war in Lebanon.
"If [al-Maliki] can't understand the intersection between our policy toward Iraq, toward Israel and toward Turkey, we haven't been explaining ourselves very well," JINSA said. "If we don't do a better job, Mr. al-Maliki may find his country on the receiving end of a lesson from Turkey that, while it might prove 'unwise,' will not be undeserved."
JINSA's board of advisors include many members of Congress, retired generals, admirals, diplomats and academics. Some are Jewish but many are not. Those members, including leading conservative thinkers such as Richard Perle and Michael Ledeen, staunchly have supported the Iraq war and back hard-line policies on Iran and Syria.
Washington advocates the use of a tripartite cooperation mechanism created by the United States, Iraq and Turkey to handle the PKK problem.
Bush and his National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley in recent days pledged a larger U.S. effort against the PKK presence in Iraq.
Turkey, Israel fighting similar wars on terror, US Jewish group says
Friday, July 28, 2006
print this page mail to a friend
JINSA criticizes U.S. administration for treating Turkey and Israel differently
ÜMİT ENGİNSOY
WASHINGTON - Turkish Daily News
A think tank of leading U.S. conservative Jews, foreign policy hawks on Mideast matters, drew parallels between Turkey's fight against the terrorist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Israel's war on the radical Shiite group Hezbollah in Lebanon, criticizing President George W. Bush's administration for applying a double standard on the two allies' cases.
"The United States has warned Turkey against cross-border retaliation into Iraq, but it is really hard to understand how Israel's fight is different from Turkey's fight in this regard," the Washington-based Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, or JINSA, said in a statement Thursday.
It was referring to Israel's fight with Hezbollah in Lebanon in the wake of the abduction of two Israeli soldiers by militants two weeks ago and Washington's opposition to Turkish military action inside neighboring northern Iraq following the killing of more than 20 Turkish soldiers by the PKK this month.
Top Turkish officials last week rapped the United States for tolerating Israel's attacks on its enemies in Lebanon while refusing to allow Turkey to crush the PKK militants hiding inside Iraq.
"Israel has little complaint with the government of Lebanon except that it did not exert its authority over the terrorists operating within the country," JINSA said. "Turkey has little complaint with the government of Iraq, except the same thing."
JINSA blamed the Iraqi Kurds for their lack of action against the PKK.
"Iraqi Kurdish officials, with a Kurdish militia, have declined to take military action against the PKK, saying they want to bring the organization into the political process - but have failed to do so. Rather, they are like what Lebanon said about Hezbollah and Fatah said about Hamas (in Palestine)," it said. "In all cases, it is important to understand that terrorist groups don't care about the political process, except to the extent that it provides cover for terrorism."
Despite its support for Turkey's right to self-defense, JINSA's statement fell short of endorsing Turkish military intervention in northern Iraq.
"We even understand why U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson could say, 'We have repeatedly said that we believe that unilateral military action across the border with Iraq would be unwise,'" it said.
JINSA also blasted Iraq's visiting Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's earlier remarks condemning Israel for the war in Lebanon.
"If [al-Maliki] can't understand the intersection between our policy toward Iraq, toward Israel and toward Turkey, we haven't been explaining ourselves very well," JINSA said. "If we don't do a better job, Mr. al-Maliki may find his country on the receiving end of a lesson from Turkey that, while it might prove 'unwise,' will not be undeserved."
JINSA's board of advisors include many members of Congress, retired generals, admirals, diplomats and academics. Some are Jewish but many are not. Those members, including leading conservative thinkers such as Richard Perle and Michael Ledeen, staunchly have supported the Iraq war and back hard-line policies on Iran and Syria.
Washington advocates the use of a tripartite cooperation mechanism created by the United States, Iraq and Turkey to handle the PKK problem.
Bush and his National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley in recent days pledged a larger U.S. effort against the PKK presence in Iraq.
