Ignoring American attempts to negotiate better Turkish-Israeli relations, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, in his appearance before the annual General Assembly last week, rolled out a long list of grievances with Israel – formerly an important Israeli ally in the region.  He strongly spoke out against Israel and put the full blame for current issues on the Israeli government. He also called Turkish support for a Palestinian state “unconditional.”  In the end, he made his position clear.

In the one-on-one interview below, he took things a step further suggesting that the Israeli government is dishonest and cruel. He also suggests that Israel has consistently employed an ideology of victimology to justify their actions and that this has gone on for far too long.

Since the killing of 21 Turkish citizens on the Israel’s flotilla raid in May of 2010, relations between the countries have been getting worse and worse. Israel, after the fall of Mubarak in Egypt, has now lost another strategic ally and appears to be further isolating itself.

With the Arab Spring streaming through the Middle East, autocracies are being challenged and new governments will be less tolerant, less open to accepting Israel’s position on Palestine and the Arab Wold in general. Despite this, Israel once again announced it will build a new settlement of 1100 homes in Palestine only days ago. The song remains the same, but Prime Minster Erdogan’s words are representative of a growing trend of intolerance for Israeli policy amongst the international community; so the question now must be – how long can it continue to play?

From David Anthony Hohol…

Over the weekend the global news story was no doubt Palestine’s submission for statehood to the UN. Barack Obama conceded the critical nature of this issue way back in March 2009, when in Cairo he called for a halt on all settlement activity. In May of the same year, Obama asserted the borders before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, with some minor adjustments, should be the basis of a peace agreement.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu immediately and categorically rejected both proposals. Israel continued building settlements in the West Bank. Imagine someone coming into your country and building neighborhoods, roads and facilities that you were not allowed to use. Israel can only do this, by the way, because Palestine is not officially recognized as a country and that’s what all this is about. If it Palestine was legally recognized as a sovereign state, Israel would not be able to impose its will without it being categorized as an act of war.  Netanyahu also raised objectionable new demands for a permanent military presence in the Jordan River valley. Almost bizarrely, he also asked for recognition of Israel as solely a “Jewish State” even though about 25 percent of Israeli citizens are non-Jewish.

The United States has thus been exposed as being impotent in a way they never have been before. The result is that they have basically withdrawn from the peace process. Left with no alternative Palestine has now moved on to the UN for help.

The fact of the matter is that Israel has no intention of allowing a sovereign Palestinian state to exist and the signs have been there from the very beginning.  In 1948, immediate aggression was shown, when Israel took nearly 25% more land than was allotted to them by the UN. A steady stream of massacres and schemes played out through the 1950s. In the 1960s, defying international law, Israel continued swallowing up more land, taking over the remaining 22% of historic Palestine. The 1970s saw Israeli settlements built inside the West Bank, instant small cities, with roads and services Palestinians are not allowed to use; all of which exist to inhibit the development of even a single strip of Independent Palestinian territory. To make the position clear, in 1974, Israel, along with the United States, alone voted against a UN sponsored two-state solution. With the 1980s and 1990s came the massive expansion of road blocks, check points, walls, and guard towers, as Israel continued to reinterpret UN Security Council Resolutions to its own liking. In 1982 Israel invaded Lebanon and took hold of the Jordanian border in order to more easily annex the West Bank and in 1987, even funded Hamas in the first Intifada, so that the more secular-minded and diplomatic factions of Palestine would be undermined. What has unfolded since 1948 is clear; the slow but steady eradication of all things Palestinian.

Israel has repeatedly shown the world, again and again, it will never accept an independent Palestinian state.  The events that have unfolded in Palestine over the last six decades have little or nothing to do with Hamas; little or nothing to do with Iran or Syria, with Mahmood Abbas or Hassan Nassrallah, with terror or Hezbollah. The Israeli / Palestinian conflict, at its core, is about empire, greed, wealth, and egotism. In the end, when one takes away all the political cliché and sophisticated academic theory, all that’s left is an apartheid system of existence  set up within the walls of what is essentially an open-air prison for the Palestinian people, all of which is driven by the ideology of power and dominion over the weak.

With the United States threatening to veto anything the rewards Palestine with statehood, America has offically resigned from the position of negotiator. U.S. policy is now nakedly acquiescing on the occupation and is biased. Going to the UN for statehood is not impeding negotiation it is serving it.

Netanyahu stood before the general assembly of the United Nations and called the UN as being the theater of the absurd. In the end he is right, and both the United States and Israel are its star players.

From American Corespondent Kyle Brady…

Hello, all.

My name is Kyle Brady, and I’ll be the shadow behind the “Brady’s Badge” pieces. I’m a young writer, author, and political scientist; currently, I’m writing a book , prepping for graduate school, and blogging on politics. I also write for The San Jose Political Buzz Examiner.

As far as interests go, mine are wide-ranging, but I’ve come to appreciate more the longview of politics, both domestic and international, than the day-to-day minutiae that tends to be the focus. Foreign policy, international relations, domestic security are just three of my interest arenas – I’ll be writing on these topics, and more. If you’d like to learn more about me, visit my blog , find me on Twitter, or send me an email.

Stay tuned for intelligent, insightful, and largely unbiased reports on politics of all kinds.

*****

NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, was birthed out of World War II, in 1949 through the North Atlantic Treaty , as a way to ally the United States with its interests, economic and otherwise, in Europe. What began as a political alliance shifted to a military operation, and it now stands as somewhat akin to an intergovernmental organization (IGO) with military interests, but no standing military force. It’s an organization with a number of problems and a hazy future.

The first, and most important, problem with the current incarnation of NATO is its core structure: while it may be a multilateral organization, it relies, heavily, on the United States for financial and military support . As a consequence of this reliance, the opinion of the United States tends to weigh strongly in the organization’s decision-making process. Historically, any military action taken by NATO has almost wholly depended upon the involvement of the United States – even the current efforts in Libya see American efforts as key, while its leadership simultaneously claims to be a mission led by states other than the U.S. The United States is increasingly interested in itself and taking military action only where it sees fit, and so the existence of America as a core factor of NATO’s success would seem to be in jeopardy, if the other member states do not reconfigure their positioning.

The dependence upon the United States points to the second largest problem facing NATO: its military operations are comprised of military contingents from its various member states, all with varying levels of technological capability, language skills, and specialty. While not all of its members are militarily backward, the division between the military strength and capability of the United States and some of the other leading members, such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, is striking. If NATO is to survive, it must create a more stable fighting force, in all four arenas of warfare: land, sea, air, and space. Furthermore, this fighting force must be a standing one, with allegiance to NATO first, and their individual states second. The repeated failure of the U.N.’s peace making/imposition and peace keeping/enforcement efforts make this extremely clear.

NATO has been successful in a majority of its efforts for three main reasons: the involvement of the United States, stated limited objectives, and the membership of appropriate states. During the Cold War, NATO became a tool to battle the Soviet influence in Europe, which saw the expansion of NATO from simply a European interest to including states in Central and Eastern Europe – the process continues today, as new states are being considered for membership. NATO is an extremely attractive body, for both its political and military influence, to states under the shadow of an increasingly-aggressive Russia, but their potential membership presents a third problem of great significance: their level of contribution. The question of whether states incapable of defending themselves, much less contributing to the defense of others, should be given membership to the Alliance is a difficult one, as a denial of membership leaves open a window for Russian dominance, but the acceptance of such states creates a structural deficiency.

The importance of NATO has not waned over the decades – in fact, its influence and reputation has grown substantially. This organization that began as a bit of political theater now carries out military operations for the U.N., while also keeping an eye on its own interests, which is a clear sign of strength. However, the issues of American dependence, a transient military, and its membership structure must be addressed, in the near-term, in order for NATO to continue to be successful in carrying out its mission in the interests of its members.

Kyle Brady is a young political scientist and writer interested in everything from domestic politics to foreign policy to political theory, currently living in San Jose, CA.  He blogs at kyle-brady.com, is writing a book on the modern political scene in America, is on Twitter as @brady_kyle, and can be reached at kyle@kyle-brady.com.

From Palestine Corespondent Falastine M El-Ghezawi…

Time is merciless, moving forward no matter what the cost. But time is also about renewal and hope. Two years ago at this time, the people of Gaza began to slowly dig themselves out of the destruction laid upon them at the cold and pernicious hands of the Israelis. It’s hard to believe two years has passed. When I close my eyes and think back, it seems like only yesterday.

There was no warning of the war on Gaza before it happened. Things were calm and everything was going normally; at least normal for Gaza. There was a lack of the usual – medicine, milk, diapers, even electricity – but we have long suffered to simply acquire our daily needs. I certainly didn’t expect anything horrifying.

Three nights before the attacks began, I had a dream. I saw a fearful butcher with a sword in Gaza central market, his clothes covered with blood, bones and flesh. I wanted to pass through and was terrified. He pointed, blood dripping from his outstretched finger, and told me to leave the market through the opposite gate. And so I did.

When I told my mother about the dream, she explained the butcher was the angel of death and the sword and blood symbolized the massacre that was yet to come. Him asking me to leave meant I was going to pass through the horror of the Israelis ungodly attacks on Gaza alive.

In the midst of my law degree, we were sitting through a university lecture when my friends and I heard the bombing. One of my friends joked that we better escape fast before the Israelis placed a case against us. We all laughed, but left quickly. We tried to call our relatives to check on them. It was hopeless, as they had already paralyzed our communication network. All phones and computers were rendered useless immediately.

The school day was just ending and the streets were full of terrified children. The bombing intensified and soon it was chaos. I could think of nothing but my four children. I tried to calm down a little girl who was screaming in fear, but she didn’t hear me, her hands over her ears. Ambulances and police cars were everywhere, medics didn’t know where to go or who to help; dead bodies and wounded were suddenly all around me; blood soaked the streets.

Surrounded by explosions, fires and chaos, I didn’t know how to reach my home. I wondered if I would find my four children, my brothers and relatives safe. I also wondered if I were killed, how my children would manage. The smell of death was everywhere and I could think of nothing else. Amidst the chaos I eventually found a driver who would stop to pick me up. I prayed along the way for my family’s safety. It was the longest ride of my life. I thanked God when I found them alive.

I never thought the attack was going to continue beyond a raid. Raids, you see, are commonplace as bursts of gunfire and bombings to remind us we are indeed all prisoners in Palestine under the oppressive boot of Israel is simply a part of life here. I wondered what Israel hoped to achieve from this attack beyond the inhuman suffering already caused by their illegal blockade that had left Palestine almost dying. “We will put Palestinians on a diet,” Israel said. I asked myself, “Will the Israelis take pride in a victory over an imprisoned, exhausted, and malnourished populace living in near squalor?”

The people of Palestine were without any supplies whatsoever, and we couldn’t provide anything except our local vegetables. And even that couldn’t last for long. Our family managed ourselves with peas during the war. We stood in long lines just to get some bread, but food wasn’t the biggest concern, when compared to thousands of homes riddled with bullets. Within only hours many lay in ruin. We had nothing to inform us of what was going on except radios. Even at the best of times we had problems with electricity, but now we didn’t even have fuel for our generators.

Days passed heavily, planes and heavy guns never stopped, ambulances worked day and night in areas they could reach. It all drove me mad. I didn’t allow my children to leave home, because I was afraid of them being hurt, but also I didn’t want them to see parents crying for their dead children.

We have lived under Israel’s occupation for a long time. With the first and second Intifada, we thought we’d seen the worst. I didn’t forget the blockade of Palestinian refugees camps in Lebanon that still exist today either. No matter what has happened however, the Israelis always end up proving they still have even worse in store for us.

The New Year’s Eve sky looked like burning bombs. I wondered if there was anyone even thinking about Gaza in the outside world. Do we live alone with Israelis on this planet? Why has no one moved to stop her savage aggression? My heart grew weary.

People were calling for clothes and food on the radio round the clock. I thought the least I could do was share some clothes, blankets, pillows and pots. In the end, I shared everything I could. I watched people doing all they could to help others and still the onslaught continued. Schools, pharmacies, UN and Amnesty International buildings, even hospitals were attacked.  The situation at hospitals couldn’t have been worse. Simply closing their wounds as quickly as possible, most of the wounded then left the hospital immediately to call for blood donations. There weren’t even blankets to cover the dead bodies of hundreds of children, women and men and no graves in which to bury them.

Many of us were forced to both cook with and drink unhealthy water. Candles soon ran out and we had nothing to light a cold winter night’s darkness. Within hours there was no room in the hospitals. Over the radio we heard again and again how Arabic and international efforts were being made to stop the Israelis latest crimes against us, but we knew Israel would never respond except to its own racist tendencies. Their extreme desire for the killing, humiliation and destruction of all things Palestinian knows no end. This much I know to be true. This much I have lived everyday of my life.

In the last days of the attack, my family’s neighborhood was bombed while I was on the phone with my mother. I heard a missile hit the next building. My mother hung up the phone and with some of their neighbors quickly went to my uncle’s home, making it out on time. Just two days before the war ended, my children insisted on going outside. I accepted as things had calmed a little, but suddenly changed my mind. No long after, Israeli bombers dropped two missiles killing two neighborhood children playing just where my kids would have been had I let them go. I was grateful for a while, but this feeling turned soon to pain and guilt. Two mothers lost their children and I cried for them, as well as the many other mothers out there who suffered the same fate.

After the Israelis withdrawal from our beloved city, we found ourselves living in a wasteland. Many neighborhoods and roads that were once there, were now simply gone, wiped off the map. As an added insult, many of our oldest olive trees were pulled out of the ground. In the end, Gaza became one large homeless shelter. People stayed in camps, having not so much as a pot to cook in, children lost their books, toys and clothes; so much was lost.  The next day however, I witnessed a strange and wonderful thing. With the Israelis gone, markets opened in the rubble to offer people with what little supplies they had. People were shaking hands, helping each other however they could, there were smiles and tears, there were stories of bravery and tales of woe. I knew at that moment that we were still alive, that Palestine lived on and that she would never be defeated. We didn’t win the battle against the Israelis and in the end, how could we? But we didn’t bow either. Try as might they couldn’t make us kneel.

I walked home from the market that day filled with pride and I knew deep in my heart that Palestine would never give up the fight.

Looking back now, I saw two opposites unfold throughout the war – destruction and survival. It reminded me of our great poet, Mahmoud Darwish, who indeed was the essential breath of the Palestinian people, the eloquent witness of exile and belonging. I can think of no better words to end this piece than his.

I BELONG THERE

I belong there. I have many memories. I was born as everyone is born.

I have a mother, a house with many windows, brothers, friends, and a prison cell

with a chilly window! I have a wave snatched by seagulls, a panorama of my own.

I have a saturated meadow. In the deep horizon of my word, I have a moon,

a bird’s sustenance, and an immortal olive tree.

I have lived on the land long before swords turned man into prey.

I belong there. When heaven mourns for her mother, I return heaven to

her mother.

And I cry so that a returning cloud might carry my tears.

To break the rules, I have learned all the words needed for a trial by blood.

I have learned and dismantled all the words in order to draw from them a

single word: Home.

-Mahmoud Darwish

AP Photo - Israeli wall running through the West Bank

Israel once again demonstrated its lack of concern and disinterest in international sentiment, when on November 17th they announced their plans to move ahead with additional settlement building in the West Bank. The area of Gilo, which has been occupied since 1967 and annexed to its Jerusalem municipality, has now been slotted for nearly 1000 new homes.

Shortly after Barack Obama was sworn in as President, he called for a halt to settlement building in the West Bank. Israels decision was harshly criticized by the White House. In a official statement, the Obama administration said it was ”dismayed” at their decision to move ahead with more settlements and accused Israel of sabotaging Obama’s efforts to restart peace talks with Palestinians, which have been on hold since December.

“At a time when we are working to relaunch negotiations, these actions make it more difficult for our efforts to succeed,” said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also denounced Israels decision, saying he “believes that such actions undermine efforts for peace and cast doubt on the viability of the two-state solution” for Israelis and Palestinians.

The United Kingdom also condemned the Israeli move stating that ”this decision on Gilo is wrong and we oppose it.”

Riyad al-Malki, the Palestinian Foreign Minister, said Israel’s decision was a further step “intended to prevent the Palestinian state from happening.”

I know for many the concept of settlement building is confusing, so allow me to try to simplify things. Imagine you live in a neighborhood that you, your father, and grandfather were all raised in and suddenly, buildings are torn down, you are ordered to leave your homes, walls and fences go up, new buildings are built, and new roads are paved. Afterward, new people move in and you are not allowed to enter the area, nor are you even allowed to use the streets and roads that pass through it. Now, to cross to the other side of your neighborhood, you have to travel all the way around the barriers, sometimes traveling three and four times the distance, and in doing so you must pass through a number of check points and security checks - both there are back.

Is there anyone out there who would simply accept this?

Another question many might ask is why are these settlements being built. There is one purpose – to stymie any attempt at establishing a sense of Palestinian identity or independence, to denigrate, frustrate and humiliate the domestic populace and to remind all concerned they are indeed under occupation. In other words, settlements are established to create conflict and to tear down any attempt at a two state solution.

Israel is making a very clear statement. It will do what it wants to do when it wants to do it,  and what it wants to do is eliminate any chance of Palestine having a state of its own… no matter what the international community thinks.

From David Anthony Hohol…