SOLDIERS REMAINED PASSIVE IN TURKISH-ISRAEL CRISIS
The Israeli military attacks on the Gaza aid ship has a cost of Türkiye 9 martyrs and 22 injured.
Our aid volunteers (466 people), our martyrs (9 martyrs), and our 22 injured were brought to our country on 03 June at 02:30 morning and 5 heavy-injured stayed in Israel because transfers were not suitable. Volunteers, martyrs, and wounds from the other 32 countries have also reached their country.
I wish mercy from Allah to our martyrs, healing to our injured, and patience to the relatives of the martyrs. Greetings to all aid volunteers.
Thanks to IHH;
These oppressed nations, the people of Gaza who live in captivity at the hands of the cruelest governments in the world, the official governments of the world states turned back and ignored them because they fear the evil of Israel, despite Israel's Violent past, we congratulate our brave volunteers with all our hearts who risked their lives to bring aid They opened a new scope and a new horizon for the Palestinian people. They made a courageous attempt that the equipped armies could not afford. The volunteers of the humanitarian convoy will see the reward for their efforts in this world and the hereafter.
IHH is the flag bearer of this convoy. While helping the oppressed, it helped our country to take an active part in the issue and reinforce the place it deserves, especially in the Islamic World. I hereby congratulate İHH board of executives, particularly Attorney Bülent Yıldırım, with the deepest admiration of mine.
Our government has implemented successful diplomacy;
The crisis lasted 72 hours. At the end of that period, the martyrs, the injured, and all the volunteers were taken from Israel.
The active and extraordinary efforts of our government in this matter should be met with appreciation.
Within 24 hours, the United Nations Security Council was called for a meeting. A decision was taken against Israel, and it was decided to establish an investigation committee to shed light on the bloody attack.
NATO's permanent committee was called for the meeting and Israel was condemned.
Our prime minister returned home, interrupting his trip to South America. World public opinion unusually harshly condemned Israel.
The Islamic Conference organization was called for a meeting.
Our President announced that Turkish-Israeli relations cannot be the same as before.
The government has made quick effective attempts to return aid volunteers to their countries and to resolve the issue on an international level. The country has taken significant diplomatic steps to promote its dignity, national interest, and the protection of our interests, charity volunteers, and the Palestinian people.
The initiatives of our government relieve our hearts and they expressed our feelings. We thank our Prime Minister and Foreign Minister because they opened a new path for the regional leadership of our country.
Our Expectations are:
The fate of our charitable ships and the humanitarian aid in them have not been clarified.
These materials should have been transported to the Gaza port and handed over to the Palestinian people, along with the ships they were loaded on.
The blockade applied to Gaza should have been lifted and the embargo should have been broken.
Time will tell if there is an opportunity to achieve what happened in diplomatic initiatives.
On the other hand, Israel forcibly fulfilled their request to deliver the aid. We also had martyrs and injured people.
Israel's will should have been broken.
In this crisis, our soldiers did not appear at all:
Three Turkish-flagged ships in international waters, only 200 miles off the southern coast of Türkiye with around 500 unarmed civilian passengers, a foreign country is occupied by its armed force, with weapons, Turkish citizens are martyred, injured, captured and the ships are taken 70 miles to the port of the enemy country, and this operation lasts 3 hours, the passengers are disembarked for 12 hours, the passengers are detained for 48 hours, but during this period, there is no action from our Armed Forces, who have the right to retaliate.
Although the aim and activities of the aid convoy have been known for months and Israel cannot intervene on such initiatives, we can say that the lightest reason for the Turkish armed forces to remain motionless is because it has been under pressure.
As a retired soldier, unfortunately, our heads are bent.
I would have liked our Armed Forces to watch the humanitarian aid convoy.
Israel’s intervention should be previously evaluated and should have been cautious.
Israel’s intervention should have been heard previously.
When the assault occurred in international waters, the interfering Israeli ships and helicopters had to be buried in the deep waters of the Mediterranean by the Turkish air force and navy.
Israel should have sought its rights in the United Nations, NATO, and in the international arena, instead of Türkiye.
Without this determination, a great country cannot be made, and you cannot make your word heard to the bandits in the region.
When this could not be done, the negligence in protecting Turkish relations and interests should be compensated.
Our naval forces had to reach Israeli territorial waters when the aid ships were in the port of Ashdod. The relief ships had to be received with their passengers and transported to the Gaza port, accompanied by the navy. It had to be paid for no matter what.
As a result, Israel once again broke laws, used force, and violently prevented the aid convoy from reaching Gaza. In this matter, it showed its intentions to the whole world. It challenged the world, especially Türkiye. However, it did not receive the actual response that it deserved from the Turkish Armed Forces.
Diplomatic initiatives may be exposed to dilemmas over time, and concrete results may not be reached.
While there was an opportunity to severely punish Israel, that opportunity was missed due to the inertia in our armed forces.
There is no luxury that the TAF can be occupied internal security.
The geography of our country requires being prepared for a quick armed intervention for the surprising situations that will happen around us.
For Türkiye to be able to move effectively and independently in the region, it must be placed in a position and strength that can carry land, sea, and air forces at strategic distances and outside the borders and conduct operations.
To do this, the TAF must be freed from internal security tasks, and the structure and mission to protect Turkish interests and relations must be reached.
We hope that, from now on, we will be more sensitive and prepared for external threats. June 3, 2010
Adnan Tanrıverdi
Retired Brigadier General
