Warning: Al-Qaeda Planning Attacks on Israelis in Turkey

From Warning: Al-Qaeda Planning Attacks on Israelis in Turkey:

Israeli security services have received specific intelligence that al-Qaeda cells in Turkey are planning to carry out terror attacks on Israeli targets and sites affiliated with the U.S., Yediot Ahronot reported Monday.

Turkey Blames U.S. Jews for Genocide Bill

From Turkey Blames U.S. Jews for Genocide Bill:

When a U.S. Congressional committee approved a resolution recognizing the World War I-era massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as genocide, Turkey's reaction was swift and harsh: Blame the Jews. Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said he had told American Jewish leaders that a genocide bill would strengthen the public perception in Turkey that "Armenian and Jewish lobbies unite forces against Turks."

Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said Jews should not be blamed for the Armenia genocide bill, particularly not by Turkish officialdom. "We regret that some officials there are trying to lay the onus of what's happened on the Jewish community," Hoenlein told JTA. "They shouldn't allow some people to manipulate this initiative in Congress to the detriment of this relationship, which is beneficial for both sides." Hoenlein, who met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during last month's UN General Assembly, said, "There is the same commitment on the part of the organized community to support Turkey."

The Siloam Spring

From OHR:

A recent news item about Jerusalem's Mayor Uri Lupolianski's asking the Turkish government to return to Israel the ancient Siloam inscription called attention to the history of the tablet.

In Divrei Hayamim II (32:2-3) it is recorded that King Chizkiyahu ordered the stopping up of the springs around Jerusalem, which were the source of water for the city, in order to deprive the invading Assyrian army of Sancherib from making use of them. To make those waters still available for his people "he brought them straight down to the west side of the City of David" (ibid. 32:30).

Historians say that this refers to the 450-meter long tunnel that the king's workers hollowed out of bedrock. The Siloam inscription, named for the spring whose waters flowed through this tunnel, records the dramatic moment when the two teams of excavators that dug in opposite directions met to celebrate the completion of the project.

The Siloam inscription was discovered in 1880 and taken by the Ottoman rulers to an Istanbul museum. Mayor Lupolianski asked the Turkish ambassador to Israel to arrange for the return of the historic tablet as a gesture of good will between allies. It should be noted that while the stopping up of the springs may have been a clever military strategy, Chizkiyahu was criticized by the Sages for taking such a drastic step rather than relying on G-d's promise (Melachim II, 19:34) that "I will defend the city to save it." (Pesachim 56a)

Syrian waste turns [Turkish] Hatay coast into growing garbage dump

Solid waste, including medical waste, left in the open sea or in the Asi (Orontes) River, which passes through Lebanon, Syria and Turkey, end up along Hatay's coast. Typical abuse of others by amoral Syria. From Today's Zaman:

Solid waste, including medical waste, left in the open sea or in the Asi (Orontes) River, which passes through Lebanon, Syria and Turkey, end up along Hatay’s coast. The waste, primarily of Syrian origin, is creating a serious pollution problem that is becoming increasingly difficult to handle. The governor of Samandağ, on the mouth of the Asi River, Tahsin Kurtbeyoğlu, states that they have difficulty in coping with the problem, despite the 11 workers currently assigned to keep the coasts clean. These coastal cleaners will continue their work during the summer season.

Turkish officials to Mayor Lupolianski: "The tablet with Siloam Inscription will be returned to Jerusalem"

Here's a statement from the Jerusalem Mayor's office:

Following a meeting between mayor Lupolianski and Turkish ambassador to Israel, Mr. Namik Tan, it was agreed to look into the option of lending the tablet with Siloam inscription to the city of Jerusalem.

The 2,700-year-old tablet, which is now presented in the Archeology Museum in Istanbul, holds a great historical and cultural significance to the Jewish people. It contains testimonies from the days of the first temple and describes the construction of the tunnel by king Hezekiah. The tunnel was dug in order to maintain water supply to besieged Jerusalem. The tablet was discovered in 1880 by the British and taken by the Ottoman rulers when they left the region in 1917, after world War 1.

These days there have been indications that Turkey sees Lupolianski' s request in a positive light. Therefore, the tablet might be returned to Jerusalem as a gesture of goodwill and as a sign of friendship between the 2 peoples.

The municipality sees it as a great archeological and cultural achievement.

Throughout the years, attempts have been made in order to bring the tablet back to its natural environment -Jerusalem .However, back then these attempts did not succeed.

The mayor, on his part has, agreed to promote a plan to build a monument to commemorate the Turkish soldiers who died on Israeli land/here during World War one.

Gidi Schmerling,
Municipality' s spokesman

For a background on this story, see this and this.

Jerusalem Seeks Return of Ancient Tablet

From Jerusalem Seeks Return of Ancient Tablet:

Jerusalem's mayor, Uri Lupolianski, has asked the Turkish government to return a 2,700-year-old tablet uncovered in an ancient subterranean passage in the city, as a "gesture of goodwill" between allies. Known as the Siloam inscription, the tablet was found in a tunnel hewed to channel water from a spring outside Jerusalem's walls into the city around 700 BCE - a project mentioned in the Old Testament's Book of Chronicles. It was discovered in 1880 and taken by the Ottoman rulers to Istanbul, where it is now in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum.

1,400 Turkish Muslims Maim Animals During Eid al-Adha Feast

This post was moved to SmoothStoneBlog

Turkish statement on Tehran Holocaust meeting

Received by email with no link:
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STATEMENT BY THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY

We maintain the same views expressed in our statement dated December 9, 2005 also in the context of the conference held in Teheran on December 11-12e ntitled "Jewish Holocaust: Global Perspectives." We expressed in that statement that the Holocaust suffered by the Jews in World War II is a historical fact that wounded the conscience of humanity and that this crime against humanity had been established also by international law. We regard such initiatives which question this historical fact as misplacedand approach them with concern and grief.

Does Turkey deserve to be a member of the European Union?

Here's a curious link I just stumbled upon while researching Islamic fascism - it's named Voice for Europe and it's a petition campaign by various European organizations against the accession of Turkey to the European Union.

According to the Voice for Europe website, the European Union is trying to define its future shape in a slow and complicated process. Accession talks with the Republic of Turkey would significantly render the process more difficult, and Turkey's EU membership would prevent finding a common consensus, due to the basic political, social, and cultural differences between Turkey and Europe. (May I add a loud "DUH" to that)

One of the most obvious questions one has to ask is, how is Turkey part of Europe anyway? Is Turkey even a European country? Well, according to the Maastricht Treaty of the European Union and to the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe “Any European State may apply to become a member of the Union” . Therefore it is essential to define whether the applicant is a European country or not.

Geographically only 3% of Turkey's territory, called the Thrace lies in Europe. The rest of Turkey's territory is called Asia Minor. So from a geographical point of view Turkey is an Asian country.

Some supporters of Turkish accession claim that historically Turkey has always been connected to Europe, therefore it is European. With this kind of logic Spain could be a Latin American and France could be an African country because of their previous colonies.

The facts of the matter is, Turkey, or rather the Ottoman Empire established its connection with Europe by conquering Byzantium and the Balkan states, by coming from outside, not evolving from inside of Europe.

Most of the Turks see the Ottoman Empire as peak of their Golden Age, which from the point of view of Europeans of those days was in fact a threat to their countries, culture and religion.

With regards to origin, Turks consider themselves Asians, with the exception of a few elites of the society who regard themselves Europeans. The majority feels culturally closer to Middle Eastern neighbors than to Western and Northern Europeans, or even to their Greek neighbors. Traditions and habits of Turks are totally different from European customs.

Based on their religious-traditional background, up to 50% of women (according to, take it or leave it, Amnesty International) suffer from domestic violence, and there are still up to 300 honour killings per year in Turkey. (Honour killing is the murder of a female family member because of her supposed improper behavior, such as not wearing a hajib, having sex before marriage, adultery suspicions and others). These deeply rooted customs can in no way be considered to be acceptable in Europe.

Even though among Islamic countries, Turkey is undoubtedly closest to the Western conception of democracy, it is impossible to ignore the threat of gradual but steady Islamisation.

Another clear evidence of this is the fact that in 2004, at the 31st session of Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers, held in Istanbul, the decision of the EU which denounces stoning as an inhuman punishment, was condemned in point 62 by some Islamic States in compliance with Islamic Sharia (religious law based on Koran and Hadis).

In about 2/3rd of all weddings, it is the parents of young Turkish people who choose partners for them from Turkey, who then immigrate to Germany. This is the phenomenon of “imported brides” who do not speak the language of their host country, are not familiar with western lifestyle, live secluded in ghettoes, and thus it is highly improbable that they could become integrated into the European society.

You can read the rest of the mission statement for the Voice for Europe here.