(NEWS) Iran: NATO Missiles In Turkey Would Defend Israel's 'Crimes'

"The possible deployment of NATO missile defense systems in Turkey is solely aimed at defending Israeli interests, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

'There are dubious intentions behind the story which raised concerns in regional and Islamic countries. We are not a threat to regional countries, and the countries in our region, except the Zionist regime, are not a threat to us,' Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted by the ISNA news agency as saying.



'The measure aims at supporting the Zionist regime and protecting it against its crimes,' Mehmanparast said, adding 'we hope that regional nations would prevent such measures.'

Iran has already expressed its concerns on the issue to Turkey, 'our friend and neighboring country,' the spokesman said.

Turkish media reported last week that Ankara would agree to deploy NATO missiles on its territory only on Turkey's own terms. It said the system should be built by NATO, rather than the United States, that the shield should protect all the alliance's member states, and that Ankara would not allow NATO to turn Turkey into the alliance's frontline state, as it was during the Cold War.

Earlier this month, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Turkey would not agree to host a missile shield that targeted Iran, Turkey's trade and political ally.

'Mentioning one country, Iran... is wrong and will not happen. A particular country will not be targeted...We will definitely not accept that,' Gul said in an interview with the BBC's Turkish service.

Turkey is expected to announce its final decision on the missile defense shield during the NATO summit in Lisbon on November 18-19." (source)

(NEWS) Trailer Released For Anti-Israel Flotilla Film "Valley Of The Wolves: Palestine" Shot On 'Mavi Marmara'

"Video below: Movie portrays IDF soldiers shooting at men charging towards them; film follows Turkish hit-squad searching for Israeli flotilla commanders.

The trailer for a new Turkish film featuring a particularly violent rendition of the May 31 Gaza flotilla incident was released on the Internet this week.

The movie, Valley of the Wolves – Palestine, is a spinoff from the controversial but highly popular TV drama series Valley of the Wolves, which tells the story of a nationalist undercover agent assigned to kill state enemies."







Related Article:

• Turkish film on flotilla raid may anger Israel

(NEWS) Tourism Minister Urges Israelis To Boycott Turkey

"Mesezhnikov's call for travelers to boycott Turkey follows reports that Ankara had classified Israel as a 'strategic threat.'

Israel's tourism minister on Sunday urged Israelis to stop traveling to Turkey.

Stas Mesezhnikov called for the travel boycott after the Israeli press reported Turkey has classified Israel as a 'strategic threat.'"

(NEWS) Turkish Document Defines Israel As 'Central Threat'

"National Security Council in Ankara decides to remove Syria, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia from list of countries that pose threat.

The Turkish National Security Council approved a few days ago significant changes in a document which contains threats against Turkey claiming that Israel is now a major threat to the country, Turkish media reported Saturday.

Israel was redefined as a 'major threat' in the document called 'The Red Book.'"

(VIDEO) FreeMiddleEast.com: Turkey Turkey

While Turkey begins to flex its diplomatic muscles, three dark Turkish crimes continue to haunt the world: Armenian Genocide, Kurdish ethnic cleansing and the occupation of Northern Cyprus.

Go to: http://www.freemiddleeast.com/turkey to take action.
Facebook: http://j.mp/freeturkey

(NEWS) Turkish Intelligence Severed Relations With The Mossad

"Turkish newspaper reports agencies stopped exchanging intelligence and conducting joint operations following Turkish government decision.

Amid the strained relations between Ankara and Jerusalem, Turkish intelligence has severed its working relations with the Mossad, the Turkish newspaper Sabah reported on Monday.

The report stated that the two agencies, which once enjoyed tight cooperation, had stopped exchanging intelligence and conducting joint operations following a Turkish government decision on the matter."

(NEWS) Turkel Commission To Hear From Flotilla Passengers

"Two Arab citizens of Israel who attempted to break through to Gaza along with an international flotilla have been summoned to testify before the Turkel Commission. The commission plans to hear from pro-Gaza humanitarian groups as well.

Israeli citizens Mohammed Zidan of Kfar Manda and Hamad Abu-Daabus of Rahat were asked to testify in an open-door hearing to be held on October 13.

The commission has already heard testimony from Khalid Tarzi, the captain of the ship Mavi Marmara, which was part of the flotilla. The Marmara was the boat on which IDF captains were attacked by an angry mob wielding crowbars and knives, leading them to open fire in response, killing nine."

(NEWS) Gaza-Bound Aid Convoy Arrives In Syrian Territories

"DAMASCUS, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Viva Palestina 5, a Gaza-bound international aid convoy, has crossed the Turkish-Syrian borders late Saturday.

The convoy which consists of 43 vehicles carrying medical, food aids and some 400 pro-Palestinian activists, arrived Saturday night in the Syrian Bab el-Hawa border point, 380 km north of Damascus. It was received by hundreds of Syrians and members of Palestinian organizations.



'The convoy aims at raising the international focus on Gaza,' Nichole Marsh, one of the convoy's leaders from New Zealand told Xinhua.

'It's led by British former parliament member George Galawi, who will join us within a couple of days,' she added.

Pippa Bartolotti, a pro-Palestinian activist from Britain, said 'the most important thing is to raise the attention of media, not the Syrian and Turkish media but the U.S. and British.'

Viva Palestina movement has organized three massive land convoys to Gaza in the last 18 months, all of which have delivered their aid.

Israel has imposed a comprehensive siege on Gaza Strip after Hamas achieved a vast majority in the Palestinian legislative elections in December 2006.

In May, Israeli navy forces stormed a Turkish Gaza-bound aid ship and detained some 700 people aboard. The incident killed at least nine pro-Palestinian activists, which sparked widespread condemnation." (source)

(NEWS) Viva Palestina Arrives In Istanbul On Way To Gaza

"Activists with the Viva Palestina movement are determined to break the siege on the Gaza Strip with a convoy carrying humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, members said during a stop Tuesday in Istanbul.

'We will go in peace and will not stop until we reach our final destination, Gaza,' George Galloway, a former United Kingdom member of Parliament and the founder of the Viva Palestina initiative, said in a speech in Istanbul after the convoy arrived in the city.



Galloway, who has been involved in the Palestinian issue for 34 years, called for the governments of the 25 countries represented by activists joining the convoy to protect them during their journey to Gaza.

He also asked the Egyptian government and authorities to allow the convoy and the activists to pass peacefully into Gaza.

'We will comply with all formalities [Egypt] requires,' he said, adding that they had also changed their initially planned route at Egyptian authorities’ request.

Convoys from different countries will all meet in Syria before traveling to the city of al-Arish in Egypt, passing by the spot where the Mavi Marmara, a previous aid flotilla to Gaza, suffered a deadly raid from Israeli military forces on May 31.

'There, we will halt our engines, throw flowers and pray for the martyrs [who lost their lives on the Mavi Marmara],' Galloway said.

Other countries’ Viva Palestina representatives also gave speeches, calling upon the Egyptian government and Egyptian authorities to allow them to break the siege.

Many in the convoy said they would not stop their campaign until 'justice and freedom was gained by the Gaza people.'

Activists from 25 countries paid visits to the graves of Cevdet Kılıçlar and Necdetin Yıldırım, two of the nine activists who lost their lives in the attack on the Mavi Marmara.

'We are honoring them not only because of their heroism and sacrifice on board but because we believe that the attack on the Mavi Marmara changed everything forever,' Galloway said.

'I am proud of my husband and feel honored [that activists from all over the world prayed for him],' Derya Kılıçlar, Kılıçlar’s widow, told the Daily News on Tuesday.

She said she could not join the visit due to her bad health, but added that she believed her husband would have gone to Gaza again had he not lost his life in the Mavi Marmara attack.



Refika Yıldırım, the widow of Yıldırım, also told the Daily News on Tuesday that she wanted to thank all the activists for their support.

'Although we do not know each other, we believe in each other,' she said.

Activists from around the world support Gaza people

'After hearing about the brutal killings on May 31, we immediately replied to the call for another international convoy [to break the Gaza siege],' Roger Fowler, the team leader for Viva Palestina New Zealand, told the Daily News.

Fowler, who is a 62-year-old community worker and has been active in peace movements for Palestine since the 1970s, said they had run a nine-week campaign in New Zealand to collect $100,000 to purchase six vans with humanitarian aid and join the Viva Palestina convoy.

'The people of Gaza are in desperate need for food, housing, hospitals, schools, but they are unable to rebuild them because of the siege,' Fowler said.

Reacting to experts from The Israeli Project who said aid convoys disturbed peace in the region and that the Israeli military attacks on the Mavi Marmara were justified by the need to make sure there were no weapons aboard, Fowler said, 'These are Israel’s lies.'

He also said Israel knew very well that the convoys were carrying humanitarian aid and that people on board were activists. 'Everything was open.'

Fowler further said the convoy was not under any special protection of the New Zealand government during the trip, adding that the government authorities had advised the six Kiwi volunteers not to travel to the region. However, Fowler said their government had sent all their contact information to all the embassies in the region for emergency situations.

Asked whether he was concerned about his security during the trip, Fowler said, 'The level of [my] anxiety does not compare with what the people of Gaza are experiencing.'

'We have to break the siege in Gaza. It is impossible for the people there to continue like this,' Alfredo Tradardi, leader of Viva Palestina Italy, told the Daily News on Tuesday.

He said there were 15 activists joining the convoys from Italy and six vehicles with humanitarian aid provided by Italian organizations. Tradardi also said they did not have any protection from the Italian government for their trip to Gaza." (source)

(NEWS) Israeli's Media Campaign In Turkey

"A brief visit by an Israeli hospital official was meant to counter tensions over new efforts to break the Gaza blockade, and help to revive damaged ties between Turkey and Israel, both close U.S. allies.

But the cool reception from Turkish media indicated the relationship is a long way from repair, four months after Israel's deadly raid on a Turkish aid ship.

'It's still raw here,' said Eli Ovits of The Israel Project, a non-profit group based in Washington that organized the trip to coincide with the arrival in Turkey of a Gaza-bound road convoy from London."

(NEWS) Gul: Turkey Told Hamas To Stop Firing Rockets Into Israel

"Turkey has urged the Palestinian group Hamas to stop rocket attacks on Israel and seek dialogue with Europe and the United States, President Abdullah Gül has said.

Gül, speaking on a Sunday talk show in the United States, said Hamas leaders had visited Turkey after their 2006 election victory in Gaza and were told in Ankara to 'act democratically' and stop the 'nonsense' of firing rockets into Israel. Gül, who was the foreign minister when the Hamas visit took place, said Turkey told Hamas leaders that they should tell European and US officials that they were ready to live side by side with Israel when the Palestinians are able to establish their own state.



'Thus we helped Israel a lot,' he said on the CNN show 'Fareed Zakaria GPS.'

The show separately hosted Israeli President Shimon Peres, who urged Turkey to talk to Hamas and Iran to end hostile actions against Israel. 'Tell Hamas to stop shooting,' Peres said. 'Tell Iran to stop sending missiles. Tell [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad not to threaten to destroy Israel or deny the Holocaust,' Peres said.

Relations between Turkey and Israel began to deteriorate after Israeli forces killed about 1,400 Palestinians in a three-week offensive in Gaza in the winter of 2009-2010. Israel says the operation was a response to rockets fired by militants from Gaza. Tension in the ties reached a peak when Israeli commandos killed nine activists -- eight Turks and one Turkish-American -- during a raid on an aid flotilla trying to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Turkey demands an apology for the attack, while Israel refuses, saying its commandos acted in self-defense.

Peres and Gül remained at odds over the May 31 raid, although both said there was no enmity between the two countries. Peres said in the show that Israel 'will seek friendship with Turkey,' and Gül, for his part, said Turkey was not an enemy of Israel.

A reported meeting between Gül and Peres in New York fell through amid Peres’ charges that Gül demanded an apology for the raid as a precondition. Gül said the meeting did not take place because of his busy schedule. He said during the show that reports that Turkey demanded an apology from Peres as a condition of their meeting were exaggerated.

He said on Sunday: 'They are defending their act and they are criticizing us as if we [did] something wrong. With this understanding, how can I meet? We do not prefer this deterioration in [our] relationship, but, unfortunately, it was a great mistake on the Israeli side because of this blockage, embargo on Gaza.' Gül stated that Turkey is 'not against Israel' and that the two countries are not enemies, but added, 'We have a right to criticize their policies.'

The president also said it was up to Israel to mend ties. Peres said: 'But we didn’t change our attitude to Turkey. We were friends of Turkey, we shall seek friendship with Turkey.'" (source)

(NEWS) TA: Turkish Embassy Gets Envelope With White Powder

"Police takes substance for chemical analysis; none hurt; comes after 3 similar letters sent to US, Spain and Sweden embassies last week.

The Turkish Embassy in Tel Aviv received an envelope containing white powder on Monday, police said.

No embassy employees were injured in the incident. Officers have taken the substance for a chemical analysis at the Environmental Protection Ministry."

(NEWS) Mossad Information, Material Delivered To Turkel Committee

"Earlier, PMO releases statement saying documents related to Mossad's efforts to stop the Mavi Marmara would be delivered as they requested.

The Prime Minister’s Office released a statement Monday evening asserting that all documents and information requested by the Turkel Commission regarding the Mossad’s efforts to stop the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara will be delivered Monday evening or, at the latest, by Tuesday morning.

The PMO’s statement came in response to a letter sent by the commission on the same day to Mossad chief Meir Dagan threatening to take legal action against him after its requests to receive documentation related to the intelligence agency’s efforts to stop the Turkish flotilla were ignored."

(NEWS) Turkish Jews: Reform Strengthens Islam

"While international community welcomes referendum approving changes to Turkey's constitution, some locals fear development will weaken army, allow promotion of 'controversial' Islamic laws.

While the international community praised Sunday's approval of constitutional reforms in a referendum in Turkey, some of the country's citizens have expressed genuine concern over the possibility that the changes will weaken the army – which safeguards secularism.

'This development worries the Jews here,' said Tal, a resident of Antalya who voted against the reform, which is aimed at 'bolstering democracy.'"

(NEWS) Turkish Jews: Reform Strengthens Islam

"While international community welcomes referendum approving changes to Turkey's constitution, some locals fear development will weaken army, allow promotion of 'controversial' Islamic laws.

While the international community praised Sunday's approval of constitutional reforms in a referendum in Turkey, some of the country's citizens have expressed genuine concern over the possibility that the changes will weaken the army – which safeguards secularism.

'This development worries the Jews here,' said Tal, a resident of Antalya who voted against the reform, which is aimed at 'bolstering democracy.'"

(NEWS) Turkish Action Film Depicts Israeli Raid

"The Israeli soldier and the Palestinian police chief, each in uniform, stood before a worn brick wall plastered with pictures of Yasir Arafat, the hostility between them palpable.

'We’ve come to pick up the terrorists hiding here,' the soldier said, not bothering to keep the condescension from his tone.

'This is Palestine,' the police chief replied. 'You have no jurisdiction on this land. Take your men and get lost.'

Heavily armed men behind each man bristled, gripping their weapons tighter in anticipation of the soldier’s reaction."



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(NEWS) US To Turkey: No Military Exercise Unless Israel There Too

"Report: Washington tells Ankara that it wont participate in joint exercise if Israel not invited.

The United States will not participate in a joint military exercise hosted by Turkey if Israel is not invited to join, a US embassy spokesperson said, according to a Wednesday report by Turkish newspaper Hurriyet.

Anonymous Turkish sources claimed that Washington sent a message to the Turkish military saying that the US will only partake in the annual exercise held between the US, Israel, and Turkey if the Israel Air Force is also asked to join."

(NEWS) Turkish FM: Israel Should Openly Apologise To World, Not Only Turkey

"Turkish foreign minister has said that the international community still expected an apology from Israel over a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid convoy.

Turkish foreign minister has said that the international community still expected an apology from Israel over a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid convoy.

'Apology is not only a demand that Turkey had voiced but also a demand by the international community. This issue is between Israel and the international community, of which Turkey is a part after all,' Ahmet Davutoglu on Tuesday told a live interview on a private Turkish television channel."






My Opinion

What exactly must Israel apologize for Mr FM?

For boarding the ship unprepared for terrorist attacks and then for having to defend themselves in a surprise attack on the commandos in which 9 terrorists were killed, not peace activists?

I think you, Mr FM, should apologize to Israel for allowing the boat to be sent in the first place!

There is no need for our apology... I would like to see a boat of these types of activists head towards Turkey or the USA and then see what happens when their soldiers are attacked and they respond in defense!

(NEWS) Turkish Flotilla Member Participated In Past Terror Attacks

"One of the activists who had taken part in the Gaza flotilla had participated in previous terror attacks, according to a recent report in the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet.

According to the report, Erdinç Tekir, who was wounded during the fighting which occurred after the IDF raided the Mavi Marmara on May 31, participated in a terrorist attack on a Russian ferry in the Black Sea in 1996. The purpose of the attack was to bargain for the release of Chechen prisoners in Russia, and as far as is known, it was carried out by an armed group of Abkhazian/Caucasian radical Islamists, which were supported by Turkish Islamists."

(NEWS) US Congressmen: Turkey’s New Stance On Israel Welcome

"Jewish leaders say words need to be backed up with action, more changes needed.

WASHINGTON – Following the visit of a Turkish delegation to Washington, members of the US Congress and Jewish community are noting a change in Turkey’s rhetoric, but stress that words have to be backed up with actions.

After Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu held meetings with key officials at the White House, State Department and Treasury as well as with representatives of US Jewish organizations last week, Turkish officials were quoted in the Turkish press making positive statements about Israel and the relationship between the two countries."