Let us learn to eat carp for Thanksgiving.

Submitted by Pincas Jawetz (Austria), Mar 30, 2013 at 05:15

We cannot throw our hands up and think that there is no solution to the Turkey problem because Erdoğan is an enemy - though quite true that he is an enemy of a Jewish State in the heart of a Muslim World. His political base came about as a fall-back because the Ataturk Approach did not turn Turkey into a European State.

I was at the Vienna meeting where Erdogan revived the canard of "Zionism is Racism" - he is playing his Muslim cards - so what? He knew better not to come to the dinner given by the Mayor of Vienna.

I saw him in Istanbul at the time of the UN meeting on Population and Development when he was Mayor of the City. He treated us to a barbarian sort of polo game that involved a dead sheep - this was his example of traditional Turkish culture - but the issue is that he has Interests and we must deal with him in an adult way trying to find corners of common interests - and this is not only possible, but it leads to fruits as well. That is why President Obama got involved in this spaghetti. For instance - have him negotiate with Hamas.

By coincidence I have received the analysis about the Mavi Marmara and Uri Avnery's position at the same time, and clearly, though the two analyses originate from very different angles - you do meet at a point that says - Israel is much worse off because it was not careful to allow the slack that Stephen Kinzer suggested in his book "RESET" - Turkey changing from chasing after Europe to chasing after the Arabs - and please note that a Turk sits now in Saudi Arabia as head of OIC. But the long term vision of Kinzer is quite different - with the potential of the people of Turkey and Iran actually becoming friends of the West.

Oh well! I include the link to Avnery's article for those that did not see it yet, and wonder if you have suggestions for how the Israeli bowl of spaghetti can straighten to become a new platform that allows for cooperation with any other State, specially non-Arab, that has its own National interests, that, by necessity, must be taken in consideration as well? For Erdogan to try to be the head of a Muslim World is not so bad, if he can be brought to do something positive with the powers he seeks.

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Sincerely,

Pincas Jawetz

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