BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN ¡ª ¡°Even despots, gangsters and pirates have specific sensitiveness, (and) follow some specific morals,¡± said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a recent speech following the deadly commando raid on the humanitarian aid flotilla to Gaza on May 31.
The statement alone indicates the momentous political shift that¡¯s now under way in the Middle East. While the shift isn¡¯t entirely new, one dares to claim it might now be a lasting one. To borrow from Erdogan¡¯s own assessment of the political fallout that followed Israel¡¯s raid, the damage is ¡°irreparable.¡±
The long-planned and calculated Israeli attack on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara claimed the lives of one American and eight Turkish peace activists.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.