WILL TURKEY EVADE JUSTICE FOR WAR CRIMES - AGAIN?

WILL TURKEY EVADE JUSTICE FOR WAR CRIMES – AGAIN?


Revelations of horrendous crimes committed by Turkey against the Kurds are only the latest in a long catalogue of Turkish regional violence that has gone unpunished.

From the massacre, some will say genocide, of more than one million Armenians to the murder of Greek Cypriots and the continuing occupation of northern Cyprus to the more recent violent provocation by attacking Israel’s legal blockade of Gaza. The ships may have been manned by the Turkish IHH but the hand of Prime Minister Erdogan was clearly on the steering wheel of the Mavi Marmara.

Turkey has evaded justice for these crimes, but the terrible use of chemical weapons on Kurdish people, including two women, and then attempting to cover up this heinous crime by ripping the bodies to pieces, brought back memories of Saddam Hussein.

Photographic evidence of these war crimes is in the hands of the major news agencies who claim that they are so appalling they refuse to print them. German experts have confirmed the authenticity of these pictures and Kurdish witnesses can identify the victims.

It is inconceivable that Turkish Prime Minister Recip Tayyip Erdogan did not know of, if not order, these terrible crimes.

In the last year he has imposed his chosen officers to the hierarchy of the Turkish military. It is impossible that he would not have been informed of and approved the use of chemical warfare against the Kurds.

Erdogan has been quick to accuse Israel of all sorts of abuses. He insulted President Peres at Davos, accusing him of war crimes in Gaza. He insisted that Israel ‘must pay the price’ over the recent flotilla incident.

Now it is Erdogan’s turn to pay the price.

As with Saddam Hussein’s use of chemical weapons against the Kurds in Fallujah, Erdogan must not escape justice for this crime against humanity.

Erdogan must learn that what is good for Israel is good for Turkey. Therefore, the United Nations Human Rights Council must appoint a Goldstone investigation into Turkish war crimes.

When the evidence is in, the leading Turkish perpetrators must be brought before the International Court of Justice at the Hague to face justice.

Nothing less can be acceptable.

Erdogan has been behaving like a drunken bully in recent years. His embrace of Iran and Syria has given him the confidence and boldness to act and speak in a brazen manner.

Turkish impunity to its past history and recent events, linked to support by dangerous allies and the cheers of local Turks and many regional citizens, has led Erdogan to believe that he is impervious to any accountability.

Why not? He sees his friends in Hamas and Hizbollah cock their noses at the world while gaining in political power and military strength and continue to enact their crimes and terror against Israelis and their own people.

He thinks that an Islamic embrace will protect him from facing war crimes charges.

If the international community has any vestige of honor or conscience, Turkish crimes against the Kurds must urgently be investigated and those responsible be brought to justice.

Barry Shaw.
The View from Israel.
theviewfromisrael@gmail.com