He smelled better money and power in the nest of the Evil of Axis – Hezbollah, Iran, Syria and Lebanon.
Erdogan accused Israeli soldiers of war crimes in Gaza and began hugging his new friends, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Bassar al-Assad.
The IHH-sponsored flotilla to break the maritime embargo on Gaza drove the nails even deeper in the coffin of Israel-Turkish ties.
And then look what the wind blew in a year ago – Barack Obama. It is not on public record what transpired in the discussions between Obama and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. One thing that is known is that hours after Obama departed, Netanyahu was on the phone to apologize to Erdogan for using “excessive force” against the attackers on the Mavi Mamara, who knifed and shot Israeli commandos, three of whom were kidnapped on board until the Navy soldiers finally took control.
Erdogan, who knifed Israel in the back and snaked his way into the Evil of Axis, now is in trouble. The Syrian civil war has brought hundreds of thousands of refugees into Turkey, and Assad’s air force has followed them to the point that this week, at least for the second time, Turkey downed a Syrian plane that allegedly invaded its air space.
Erdogan is afraid of Assad, Everyone is afraid of this evil monster because, as veteran Pulitzer Prize-winning Joel Brinkley wrote, he is the most dangerous man in the world. Assad will kill anyone and everyone to stay alive, which makes Erdogan coms to his senses and realize he might need Israel to protect him.
Turkey is a big fan of Israeli-made drones that help protect his country.
Erdogan may hate Zionists but he is not scared of them; he is scared of Iran, especially since Obama tells him he better be scared is he wants American cooperation. Erdogan has been more than willing to host the missile shield in eastern Turkey, making Tehran a nearby target for Israeli or American missiles that could be launched there.
And there is money – Israeli money in tourism and trade that helps Turkey far more than his Evil of Axis can help.
Erdogan also needed one other thing from Israel. His characteristic of a bully and tyrant grows the more he loses popularity. The sickening idea of Israel’s paying Turkish families to compensate them for their loved ones becoming martyrs is perverse, but that is the price Netanyahu paid to follow Obama’s marching orders, in return for more behind the scenes cooperation to overcome Iran.
And the souls of Gush Katif who lost their loved ones in terrorist attacks, who lost their homes in Sharon’s treachery, and who saw their former homes become dens of terrorists, cannot help but think that the new Turkish hospital is going to become another civilian site from where Hamas can launch missiles on Tel Aviv.